Bangungut: A Glimpse into Experiences and Explanations

Abstract

This study was conceptualized to present the experience of the participants after experiencing the so called bangungut. The main attributions or reasons for experiencing bangungut were also discovered, as well as the events that occurred before, during and after the event. The study also focused on the changes that occurred to the respondents after experiencing the event in terms of: outlook in life; habits/behavior; spiritual aspect. Narrative data analysis was used accoriding to the qualitative type of design the research. Purposive/judgemental sampling was done since the data needed will come from a specific set of subjects which are the people who experience bangungut to represent the population which are the people of Irosin, Sorsogon that were identified with the help of a key informant. This study utilized the combined procedure of in-depth phone call interviews, focus group discussion, and personal interview. Before starting the interview, it was made sure that all of the researchers were vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid unnecesarry risk. Health safety protocols were properly practiced during the interview. This study also used open-ended questios to document the experiences and changes to he respondents before and after experiencing bangungut. This research used audio recordings as an instrument in reviewing the responses of each respondent to the questions prepared by the researchers. Results show that the respondents have different experiences. However, despite it being different form each other, it conveys the same message as well as the impact on the respondents: extreme fear and disbelief. The respondents were filled with apprehension because the danger that bangungut brings was a very unpleasant feeling. It is also evident that fatigue and physical stress are the ones involved as the cause of experiencing bangungut, due to the fact that most of the respondents engaged in physical activities before going to sleep and experiencing bangungut. However, part of the factors that affect the likeliness of the event is mental stresswhich causes different experiences during the event. There are no significant changes on the outlook of the respondents pertaining to their life. 2 of the respondents have a significant change in their habits causing them to restrict themselves from working too much before going to bed. Meanwhile, 2 of the respondents said that their faith became stronger after the event.