FDIP Toastmaster Club -- Member's Corner -- Featured Speech of the Week

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Featured Speech of the Week
This site area is created to give special publicity to our member who was voted as the Speaker of the Day. It is published here to highlight the key strong points of the speech in which the speaker was able to meet speech's objectives.

Bangungot
Rico Abibas
Date presented: May 3, 2002

"Bite your thumb and wiggle your big toe then the bangungot will leave you but don't forget to pray before going to bed so that bad spirits will not come in to you". My 76-year old asthmatic Lolo Jose advised this to me, when I was a young boy then, after telling frightening stories about aswang that night.

My tokayong Rico Yan died in his sleep last bad Friday (it was not good for him). The young actor's unexpected death caused thousands of his unbelieving fans, from all walks of life to flock in to his wake and patiently lined up to see and pay a last respect for their matinee idol. It is unfortunate though that if your loved ones died by bangungot, the same feeling of bitterness will you experienced and continue to ask for answers why he or she died while sleeping?

Indeed, the syndrome of bangungot puzzled even scientists and doctors alike. What is really Bangungot? According to medical parlance, it is an acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. Acute means biglaan. The pancreas located just behind the stomach is responsible for secreting enzymes and hormones that will further digest the food in the stomach. Since the pancreatic ducts are blocked due to massive food and alcohol intake, enzymes are prevented from flowing out therefore they accumulated inside the gland. Then they began to destroy the pancreas itself and eventually burst out. Once the pancreas is destroyed by explosion, the enzymes will quickly poison our bloodstream system beginning from the intestines up to the heart.

There are seven major common characteristics of bangungot. One, it almost always affects males about 90% of all cases have been males. Two, it affects young healthy men about 80% of all cases, the victim is between the ages of 22 to 45 (Rico's age is 27). Three, the death is a result of a heart attack in the lower left ventricle of the heart (Rico was diagnosed to have a literal "sugat o mahina ang puso". He died leading to cardiac arrest). Four, bodies are found in the supine position, on their back in bed. (Rico was in this position when being revived by his friends). Five, death usually occurs in the first third of the sleep cycle (Rico was reported to rest at 4:30am, death was estimated between 6:00-700 in the morning). Six, there appears to be little or no movement or struggle in the dying process, over 50% of the cases died while in bed with their partner, not waking them. And last, many cases are reported that the victims have a fixed and "terrified" expression on their face. This proves that bangungot is really but a very painful death.

I remember when I was in Nigeria the year was 1995. I was working with Saipem, an Italian company specializing in pipeline construction. It was Christmas Eve. We had a party in our compound to celebrate the coming Christmas in a few hours. The party continued up to about 2:00 o'clock on that Christmas morning. Having eaten a heavy meal and took some hard drinks, I got tired, a little bit drunk and feeling sleepy. So I went straight to my room upstairs and fall down heavily to bed. Freddie Kroger's nightmare on elm street suddenly appeared everytime, you are near.. I found myself being chased by these winged, demonic, imp beasts that keep shouting my name, "Rico! Rico!" Their sounds were really horrifying. "Sana ay ikaw na nga…". I've tried to run away from them as fast as I could but my feet stucked down into the ground. These inhuman creatures were like vultures that spotted a dead carcasses out in the desert. Finally, they defeated me.

Then I started to make ungol. Huh…huh. It was a very loudly moaning. The next scene came in. I was lying in a center table with all my arms and my feet being tied up and chained by the table. I glimpsed to my left, there I saw this dark big devil, and his bloodshut eye popped up. He was sitting on a throne surrounded by these hellish beasts. He was holding a big tinidor on his right hand, at the same time on his left arm, he was holding a big spoon. Weird enough, a big knife was placed on his lap. Then he said announced with a trembling voice that I was going to be sacrifice. (I though he gonna eat me!). When I heard this, I started to make ungol again, a very loudly moaning that I partially open my left eye. Then I became aware of myself, na binabangungot ako. But nightmare still continue in the background… This dark big devil stand up and came near to me and shouted at the top of his lung: "What's going on, I said hey, hey, hey…You're dead, Rico!" as he started to raise his big tinidor.

I remember the advice of my Lolo Jose, but I cannot move my hands and my feet seemed wearing heavy metal shoes. I continue to make ungol…a very loudly moaning that partially opened my other eye. I realized that I was lying on my side. I've tried to move my back to the right side but I can't do it. I also did try to move myself to my left side but it seemed that the Great Walls of China were beside me. I felt that somebody was on top of me, clipping his both legs on my chest and back. As this devil was about to stab his big tinidor on me, I gather my last strength for I knew I'm going to die. I saved all my last breath and applied force, pushing hard my body to the right side.

Then I heard a sound, the sound like a mirror was broken. The bangungot finally left me. I was gasping for breath. I was perspiring a lot despite the aircon was turned on. As I was lying on my back fully conscious, staring at that fluorescence I forgot to turn off. I remember my family back home. All of a sudden, the alarm clock sounded, it was 5:00am, the time I usually get up in the morning. I stood up and sat beside the bed. I close my eyes and started to pray and thanked God for his protection.

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