Pinatubo Tragedy: 20 Years Before & After

Backtrack: June 1991 is one almost-end-of-summer I will never ever forget. Just like a typical sunny day, I was in our newly bought home in Angeles City with my sister and househelp. Mom and Dad were away for a Parents-Teachers Meeting.

As my sister Karla and I were getting ready to take an afternoon swim at the clubhouse, we heard a sound of car that abruptly braked outside our garage. A voice of a man shouting followed. I peeked by our door and realized it was my Dad's office mate, Tito Luke. I stepped out and walked towards him. Inside his white Nissan pick-up, I saw his wife, Tita Myla, with a concerned look on her face. "Come with us and we will meet your parents in the expressway. A volcano erupted!" Tito Luke said while pointing to the sky. I looked up. There, I saw an unusual looking cloud. It was so thick and gray in color. Despite the panic around me, I was not frightened. In fact, I stood amazed. It was just like a huge mushroom!

I cannot exactly remember how the events folded. What I recall is we rode the car, met up with our parents, and then went to my aunt's house in Marikina.

According to my Dad, what I witnessed was not the "big one". It was only the preliminary explosion. But on 15 June 2011, the Mount Pinatubo tragedy happened. Wikipedia described it as, "the second-largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century and, by far, the largest eruption to affect a densely populated area."

Livestock, infrastructures, and sadly almost a thousand lives were suddenly gone. It was almost a hopeless case because even the powerful US military in Subic Bay and Clark Airbase evacuated immediately. Central Luzon, particularly, Pampanga turned into an unrecognizable vast land of ash with streams of lahar and reeking sulfuric smell. It was dark and dreary. It was as if you were watching a movie in black and white only it was real life.

Fast-forward: June 2011 was a rainy month. Two typhoons have already passed yet everything is in perfect condition in Angeles City.

Pampanga is way different from twenty years ago. From a former US Air base, Clark is now an international airport. This area is also a hub for business as foreign investors especially outsourcing companies stationed here. Extension programs of premiere Philippine universities have also opened. A new road, called SCTEX, connecting different provinces is now operational. A lot of foreigners especially Koreans, immigrated here. International schools and English language tutorial centers are increasing in number every year. Malls have emerged and more are still being constructed in different cities. Real estate/Housing is now a booming industry! These are just a few of all the developments we've had since that fateful day.

Though lives cannot be brought back and painful memories continue to haunt, we can still and should proudly say that we have withstood a tragedy. Truly, life goes on... and you can make it better.