Beyond the Bet: The Lived Experiences of Sugarols in Vista Alegre, Anilao, Iloilo

Abstract

Sugarols are individuals who take part in sugal sa lamay, a practice linked with gambling which, in some Filipino communities, also functions as a setting for companionship, social interaction, and support for families who have lost a loved one. The present study looked into the lived experiences of sugarols who took part in sugal sa lamay in a rural community in the Philippines. Its objective was to examine how the participants acquired, interpreted, and maintained the meanings connected with the practice within their families and communities. A qualitative phenomenological research design based on George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism was used. Four sugarols, comprising two men and two women aged between 48 and 67 years, were chosen using purposeful and snowball sampling. Data were collected with the help of an interview guide that had been developed by the researcher, validated, and piloted, and the data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach, with data triangulation employed as a support. The findings identified three main themes: Learning and Normalizing Sugal sa Lamay, Fostering Communal Support and Social Connection, and Regulating Participation Through Moral Values and Social Responsibility. The participants stated that the practice was learned through exposure within the family, by observation and through involvement in the community. It gave them emotional relief, strengthened relationships, promoted a sense of solidarity and provided financial help to bereaved families. Participation was governed by fairness, respect, self-control, accountability and community expectations. The study concludes that sugal sa lamay is a socially embedded practice which expresses the traditions, relationships, support and shared responsibility that exist during times of grief.