This article was written on December 2006. It should be my Tagalog article entitled Alila instead as I told to brother Ben but I hesitated to do it for now. Perhaps next time I will share it with you all. The day Mt. PINATUBO Went Wild Right away after a powerful earthquake devastated Central Luzon in1990, Mount Pinatubo began to emit a grayish smoke from its side. Personnel from Phivolcs rushed in to monitor the dormant volcano that slept for the last 600 years. They feared that the earthquake might produce some disturbing effect into its tranquil state. They concluded thereafter that the ground which composed of solid rocks and clays had cracked resulting to the dodging of sulfuric gases coming underneath the ground. The result was the upcoming to life of a sleeping monster, the giant volcano. The prospect of major volcanic eruption was becoming imminent. On the other hand, the native inhabitants of the place complained that the emission was the outcome of the drillings made around the volcano by people from energy department who were looking for alternative source of fuel such as natural gas. After failing to find any, they just enclosed the holes before leaving the place. They discontinued on drillings but not before Apo Mallari was awakened by the noises they produced while boring the holes according to the natives. The apo of the Aetas got mad and began to discharge fumes underneath to demonstrate his denunciation of the disturbance committed against the calm state of the place. Whatever the actual reason behind it, Mt. Pinatubo started to uproar on June 12, 1991. It was around 9 o’clock in the morning on that date when the great volcano blew its top. He threw violently a cloud of dark smoke mushrooming up to 25 kilometer high in the sky. Every body grasped a camera and video cam to record the fantastic view. It was a great spectacle that was enjoyed by everybody. After one hour, it rained not with water as it used to be but smoldered sands and rocks. Everybody was amused by the rare phenomenon that occurred first time in their life. The drizzling of sands lasted for half of an hour. The condition returned to its usual state after that. People went back to their normal routine even swapping with each other stories of what had occurred although a visible anxiety about it still existed. After three days, it erupted again combined with monsoon rains before the nightfall. It raged for about two hours then returned to stillness to provide respite to the residents. Then the final rampage came the following morning at 6 o’clock. The volcano went berserk with ultimate fury that almost wiped out the existence of all towns around it. San Antonio was one of the hardest hit by the eruption. The town was engulfed by total darkness as if it was a stormy midnight although it was mid-morning. The roosters crowed and then set off into a total silence. The residents enclosed themselves inside their houses just to become scared because the tectonic earthquake rumbled under their feet in 30 minutes intervals. The roofs of their houses were creaking due to the heavy accumulation of wet sands and debris that descended from the fuming volcano. Some people took refuge in a catholic church that collapsed later. To exacerbate the situation, the electric service interrupted and sent the town into a total black-out. Communications from the outside world were cut-off. Residents failed to communicate even with their neighbors. It was a terrible undertaking to venture outside when audible thuds coming from the falling roofs could be heard from a distance. The faint moans from nowhere could be discerned from the thundering roar and constant flashing of the lightning. A typhoon combined with the eruption of the volcano jolted the place. Volcanic eruption, super typhoon, volcanic earthquakes plus deafening and vociferous thunder and blinding lightning joined together to form a total formula of catastrophic disaster to demolish the serenity of the town. It was the longest and darkest day ever endured by the town folks. The end of the dark tunnel appeared to be too far. The faint glow on the opposite side could barely be seen but could not be reached out. It was akin to a nightmare in high noon taking its toll while the subconscious of one’s mind stayed awake. He craved to rise up but he could not make it. He discerned he was there out weeping but no one heard him. He deemed he died a thousand times and the shadow engulfed his whole body and soul. And yet the night mare of that eruption never held back. His tired spirit learnt to utter some silent prayers meant not for himself but for the shield and salvation of his family. He underwent the most frightful moment in his life. The following morning, the volcano stopped its devastation. The sun showed its first indication of radiance showering new optimism to every spirit. But the daylight just adjoined to the anguish and misery suffered by the citizenry. Sands and rocks were unloaded by the volcano all over the place that altered the topography of the town. It could not be distinguished anymore which place is which. Nothing left but trunks of trees devoid of branches and leaves and buildings without roofs. The mountains appeared to be the Mount Everest covered with snow but in reality it was sand that made it white. Mass departures of the people began at the first hour of the morning. It was very excruciating to watch truckloads of people including dependents of US Sailors from San Miguel Naval Base moved away from the town in convoy escorted by fully armed US Marines. Some of the local residents went to Ilocos Sur and to other places they thought safe. Others set foot on as far as Nueva Ecija and Isabela provinces. San Antonio became a ghost town in a matter of time. Before sunset that day, almost all resident including the family of this writer evacuated the town on the advice of local police. They announced with their megaphone that a tsunami with balls of fire would rub out the town from the map that evening. Pandemonium broke out. It sent everybody including children to travel by foot to the town of Subic. Rains and mud failed to stop the evacuation. They reached Subic at fast midnight. Children hardly walked in too much exhaustion but no one complained just to damn it afterwards because the alarm sounded by the policemen turned out to be false. The chief of police who happened to be a friend of this writer explained later that the false information about that tsunami came from the provincial government and they were just tasked to relay it to the public. When the situation went back to normal, traders from Pangasinan towns came in droves to purchase from farmers domestic animals like cows, carabaos, goats, and even pigs. They made a bulk of profit because the farmers sold their animals in give-away prices. There was no single strand of grass in the surrounding because it was buried by two feet high sands. Trucks of rice hay were delivered from the nearby provinces to the town for distribution to farmers for their livestocks but it did not last long. So they did the last option, sold their animals to the gluttonous traders who took advantage of the farmer’s pathetic conditions. The eruption helped to reveal the most bizarre of greed and voracity among men. Some individuals acted like hungry vultures that devoured all the rotting carcasses along their paths. They stumbled on the decomposing flesh by smelling the putrid air that led them to the rancid cadaver. Reputable businessmen doubled the price of their merchandises. Gasoline stations closed shop sending motorist to squander for that valuable product just to get hold of it. Rural and commercial banks in Olongapo City closed their doors to avoid rush of withdrawals by their clients. They discontinued doing business the very time people needed it most. The cowardice of the supposed courageous and macho men was unveiled during the eruption. They were so brave before that they cut down whoever person that budged against their will. But they divulged their true colors in the midst of the onslaught of the volcano. They shivered in great fear under their beds during that fateful day. Some local officials left the town and set off to a safer place. Several policemen scampered away from their posts and disappeared with their families in tow. They explained that like others they had also duties to protect their own families. It was a fair reasoning though that was understood by the town folks. Even the thieves and robbers were impeded from doing their nefarious trade because of tremendous fear. They left alone unmolested all abandoned houses and cars in the highway. Assistance arrived particularly coming from Non-Government Organizations (NGO) who distributed bags of groceries consisting of few cans of sardines and a kilo or two of rice to the victims. Although minimal it made a big difference to the morals of the residents. Foreign countries also sent relief goods for humanitarian reason. They sent blankets that were replaced with local and low quality cotton fabrics by the power-that-be before distributing to the victims. Imported canned goods were substituted with local sardines and the brand new clothes with ukay-ukays. Crates of medicines and vitamins landed in some privileged pharmacy stores. The US Naval Base sent crates of fresh fruits, canned goods, and ready-to-eat meals in plastic packages for the victims. But more than half of the provisions went missing. There were rumors circulating in town that the missing fraction went to the grocery store located at adjacent province owned by the wife of an influential local official. It was not corroborated by solid facts though. The creative minds of unscrupulous individuals made themselves richer at the expense of the donors and the Mt. Pinatubo victims. This writer just anticipated that the contributions and assistance sent in by the members of Sanorcal, LASA, and SASD intended for the victims did not end up in the pockets of these insensate individuals. In the aftermath of the eruption, lahar flow buried two barangays, San Rafael and Santa Fe, of San Marcelino town. The gold mining in the mountain near the Pinatubo was permanently been shut down. All the US Bases were closed, no thanks to the nationalistic senators who voted against the renewal of bases agreement. They abhorred so much the Americans although most of them were green card holders. Their senate president then was married to an American national and enjoyed his green card by staying in the US during the duration of martial law to protect his rough hide leaving behind his much beloved constituents. What a shameful act had been committed by those (dis)honorable politicians. They turned out to become the heaviest burden on the shoulders not only of the Mount Pinatubo victims but the Filipino people as a whole. This writer does not in any way blame the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the destruction of the town and its people. Volcano in his knowledge is an integral part of the mother earth. It is designed to exhaust the tremendous heat produced by the magma at the core of the earth. The inferno-like temperature must be discharged out through the vent of a volcano to prevent its pressure into exploding from within that may result into the possible disintegration of the earth. Volcanoes are devised to protect the earth from that catastrophe. Yet, it is just a personal observation as perceived by this writer and not supported by any scientific fact. Pinatubo volcano was there since the creation of this world. It erupted more than 600 years ago according to the authorities but it did not generate any destruction to the people during that time. It did its devastating effect now because people, including this writer, reside willingly around it. People come close to the volcano and not the other way around. If Mayon, Taal, and Mt. Pinatubo erupted to its fury resulting to death and destruction in their vicinities, it is not their fault. They are just performing their assigned tasks in this planet. All the people could do is to move away and abandon them in their serenity to avoid the wrath and obliteration like what happened during The Day Mt. Pinatubo Went Wild.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 23:18:31 +0000
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