LIFE AFTER

Inconspicuously nestled in the dense forest of Northern Luzon’s Cabusilan Sierras, Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 massive eruption gave notice to its presence around the globe.

Lying dormant for centuries, Mount Pinatubo is located near the provinces of Zambales, Pampanga and Tarlac. Its climactic eruption on June 15, 1991 was second in size to the 1912 eruption in Katmai, Alaska, but ten times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helen's in Washington. Its giant ash cloud rose to over 35 kilometers into the sky.

The climactic eruption leveled off 300 m of the volcano's 1,745 m high summit. In its place is a 2 km-diameter caldera, the center of which is slightly northwest of the preeruption summit. Tephra or volcanic fragment deposits covered a land area of about 4,000 square kilometers surrounding Pinatubo.

These deposits buried farm lands and took hundreds of lives when the torrential monsoon rains fell soaking ash laden roofs and was aggravated by the arrival of Typhoon Yunya (Diding). The typhoon brought heavy rain and strong winds that aided in dispersing tephra falling from the broad stratospheric eruption cloud. Valleys that had been carved by prehistoric eruptions of Mount Pinatubo were partly filled again.   

  

For hours typhoon Yunya assisted in sweeping the ash to a higher elevation during the most violent phase of the eruption.

The ash cloud covered an area of some 125,000 km², bringing total darkness to much of central Luzon. This event was called “Black Saturday”. Almost all of the island of Luzon received some ash fall, which formed a heavy, rain-saturated snow-like blanket. Tephra fell over most of the South China Sea and ash fall was recorded as far away as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.  

      

As early as March, tremors had already been felt within Mt. Pinatubo's vicinities. The first magmatic eruptions started on June 3, followed by minor ash eruptions from June 9-11, and the major eruptions occurred on June 12-16 having the climactic phase on June 15. 

Mt. Pinatubo ejected roughly 10,000,000,000 tons of magma, and 20,000,000 tons of Sulfur Dioxide. It spewed vast quantities of minerals and metals to the surface such as zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, and massive amounts of toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury.      

Pinatubo’s eruption was felt across the globe due to the large amounts of aerosol it added into the stratosphere – more than any eruption since that of Krakatoa in 1883. For months, the aerosols formed a global layer of sulfuric acid haze. Global temperatures dropped by about 0.5 °C, and ozone depletion temporarily increased substantially.

As early as April, preeruption signs were already observed. The Philippine Institute
of Volcanology and Seismology (PhilVocs) with the aid of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were able to predict the eruption aiding the local government evacuate thousands of people from Pinatubo's the slopes and valleys, while the U.S. military airlifted thousands of their personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Base saving lives and costly property. Both bases were ultimately abandoned by the United States military. This evacuation was later recognized as a huge success for volcanology and eruption prediction in history.

However, even with timely precautions, road and communication infrastructures were destroyed, communities, reforestation projects, rice land, livestock, and poultry, and the livelihoods of

thousands of farmers were not spared.

Each onset of heavy rain brought lahars or debris flow composed of slurry pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water from the mountain range, causing the displacement of thousands of people inflicting extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Damage to healthcare facilities, and the spread of illnesses in relocation facilities due to poor sanitation, led to rising death tolls in the months to come. Less than 900 people died mostly from the evacuation centers. Still people continued to live within 40 km of the mountain, with population centers in Angeles City, and Clark Freeport Zone.

Weaker but still spectacular eruptions of ash continued

through early September 1991. From July to October 1992, a lava dome formed in the new caldera as fresh magma rose from beneath Pinatubo.

   

Several important river systems stem from Mount Pinatubo, with the major rivers being the Abacan, Tarlac, Pasig-Potrero, Sta. Lucia, Bucao, Santo Tomas, Maloma, Tanguay, Ashley, and Kileng rivers. Its eruption clogged these rivers with sediment, and the valleys with deep pyroclastic deposits have collected lahars in the following years. 

Farmers near Pinatubo began growing root crops such as peanuts, cassava and sweet potatoes, which ripens fast and could be harvested before the threat of lahar flows during the rainy season.

 

 ERUPTIONS

 

  

 CALDERA TRANSFORMATION

 

 

After being driven away by the Spanish colonizers from the lowlands the Aetas took refuge in the Cabusilan Sierras, but was driven out again by Mt. Pinatubo's 1991 eruption. On January 2010, Aetas from Zambales were officially granted the Ancestral Domain Titles covering the Zambales side of Pinatubo including the summit and Lake Pinatubo. The ancestral domain title covers 15,984 hectares covering the villages of Burgos, Villar, Moraza and Belbel in Botolan and portions of the towns of Cabangan, San Felipe and San Marcelino.

(all photos above were taken from google images)

Having been absent in the country during this catastrophe, for years I have been intrigued by the stories I’ve heard from friends reminiscing their treks and camp outs at Mt. Pinatubo. Finally, after decades of postponing visiting the site, I finally decided to join a group headed for Mt. Pinatubo organized by Tripinas.

Considering the heat and terrain, I prepared my trekking gear a few days before: trekking sandals, tropical rip-stop army cargo pants, light long sleeved shirt, parka, breathable cap with side skirts, sunglasses, sun block, a swiss knife, flashlight, sarong and a day backpack with three water bottles, 4 sandwiches, hardboiled eggs and trail mix, towel, soap and spare light clothes.

Our group met 3:00 in the morning at McDonald’s, corners Quezon Avenue and EDSA.  After our registration and briefing, we boarded our designated vans and headed north to NLEX exiting at the Dao toll way.

We briefly stopped by a convenient store for last minute supplies, then proceeded to Barangay Juliana in Capas, Tarlac where 4x4 vehicles of all shapes, make and models lay await. A maximum of five passengers per off-roader was assigned. Our vehicle was a modified Mitsubishi “Jeep” adapted to the lahar and tephra riddled terrain enroute to the foothills of Mt. Pinatubo.

At the break of dawn, our group sped southeast racing through a vast river bed covered with damp lahar. Our vehicle would slow down for shallow streams crossing our path and at times crawl on deeper rock hewn creeks. A real treat it was.

After an hour of off-roading we reached Mt. Pinatubo’s visitors parking area. Since it was still early in the morning, the climate was still cool and the walls flanking the gorge served as shades at certain points of the trail. Loose rocks, lahar, and water filled the trail reminding me of the term “watch your steps”.

The landscape was more than I expected, AWESOME! The river trail though mostly barren, had plants growing on top of the tephra walls. A far site from what it was 21 years ago. The annual rain water gushing down from Pinatubo Lake prevents plants from holding fast not enough time to grow. Evidence of sand slides was quite common. Even a strong gust of wind easily defaces the walls of the gorge. With these, new trails are remade not on the same place as previous years. 

Hot spring water trickles out of a few sites where clusters of green algae type plants mark their path. Fat centipedes crawl or lay curled up in nearby crevices.  On the upper part of the river, hot water streamed down rusty colored bed rocks. 
 

After 2 hours of a leisurely trek, we reached a rest shed just at the edge of an overgrowth marking the trail to Mt. Pinatubo’s caldera. Pushing on uphill, we continued to walk alongside a trickling stream within a mini-tropical forest. Upon reaching the top, unfolds the spectacular view of Mt. Pinatubo’s green colored lake water surrounded by its steep rim formed during its 1991 eruption.

Surprisingly, there were a number of visitors already ahead of us and more were still arriving. An open sided hall sits on the bottom of the stairway beside the lake where visitors could rest and eat their packed meals.

Row boats not bankas (canoe shaped wooden boats with outriggers) were available for rent to those who wish to traverse across the lake and back.

Swimming in the lake’s cool deep water was free. 

Pinatubo's lake is about 2.5 km wide and 800 meters deep, the deepest in the country. Although over the years rain water has filled the lake's hot acidic water still there seem to be an absence of marine life. Certain sides of the lake’s caldera have visible signs of sliding.

After an hour of swimming and enjoying

Pinatubo’s beauty by the lake shore, our group headed back. The noon time temperature was hot, but the slight breeze that flowed down the gorge helped cool down our trek. As we watched our footing, a father and son Aeta came running and leaping past us on bare feet. The elder was even carrying a sack of firewood on his back. It was amazing to see how the Aetas have adopted to this harsh environment.

Upon reaching the parking area, the 4x4 vehicles have quadrupled in number indicating that the site is indeed a “must see” destination. We boarded our jeep and enjoyed the rough ride back though dusty and wet from Mt. Pinatubo’s ashes and water.

           The drive and trek through Mt. Pinatubo’s river, foothills, gorge, and streams, swimming in its lake encircled by the towering caldera and seeing its native residents was truly an unforgettable experience. The visit has shown me a glimpse of Mt. Pinatubo’s history seeing nature grown back from its once ash-laden landscape, nature’s true testament to life after.  

 

 

FROZEN IN TIME

Pampanga, Olongapo, Zambales, La Union, and Baguio City have always intrigued me since the 70’s when the Vietnam War was at its peak. Not because of the local culture, but because for decades these provinces provided home bases for the United States Armed Forces serving as their logistical support and “R & R” (rest and recreation) areas exclusive to their military personnel, their dependents and civilians under contract. These military bases have a colorful history marking the colonial change of guards in the country. The Clark Air Force Base was established in Angeles, Pampanga in 1919, Subic Naval Base in Olongapo in 1899, U.S. Naval Communication Station in San Miguel, Zambales in 1955, Wallace Air Station in Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union  and Camp John Hay in Baguio City in 1903.

After Mt. Pinatubo's eruption in 1991 the U.S. Armed Forces turned over these bases back to the Philippine government. Since then, they were converted into commercial free port zones and tourist recreation areas. Among the four, San Miguel was not converted into a commercial zone, but is now home to the Philippine Navy’s Education and Training Command. Thus, the area seemed like a place to revisit and see if it looked the same 35 years ago.

 

Scuba diving was our main objective in visiting San Miguel then, specifically Capones Island. Our jump-off point was outside the beach perimeter fence of the Naval Communication Station. 

Recently, on two separate occasions, I traveled with my diving buddies: Mikko, Joey, Peque, Karina, Dennis and my wife Linda then a few years later with my son Matthew and sisters Bobbie, Peachie and Dodie.

CAPONES ISLAND

Capones Island nests about 3 kilometers off the shores of Barangay Pundaquit, 15 minutes south of Barangay San Miguel, Zambales. Northwest of it is a smaller island called Camara Island, named after Antonio de la Camara who in 1884 initiated the plans for the construction of Faro de Punta Capones or Capones Lighthouse. Although Camara Island seems to have another island next to it, a shifting sandbar moved by the

tides and season shows they are actually linked together. Both are in the South China Sea or the recently named the West Philippine Sea.

In 2004, the Environmental Protection of Asia Foundation, Inc. (EPAFI) and the 103rd Squadron and Air Operations Wing of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, in alliance with the Philippine Coast Guard, signed a Memorandum of Agreement creating a National Marine Environmental Monitoring System throughout the Philippine Archipelago. EPAFI then proposed the formation of a Marine Protected Area covering an area of approximately 6 square nautical miles covering the coastal communities of Barangay San Miguel and Pundaquit. Part of their proposal was to restore Capones Lighthouse into its original design and use it as the headquarters for their projects. Also proposed was for a long-term remediation effort to restore the dwindling fisheries resources in the coral reefs within the proposed areas with the direct participation of the local community. This project is within the vicinity of their turtle hatchery located in San Antonio, Zambales.

BARANGAY PUNDAQUIT

Our old route took as through Barangay San

Miguel where the former U.S. Naval Communication Station was located. This time we followed a satellite map to Pundaquit passing through quaint and pleasant bukid sceneries 10 minutes south of the town proper of San Antonio. We reached the resort-laden shores of Pundaquit around 11:00 AM, made our base at the Canoe Beach Resort where we had direct access to secured parking, gear preparation area, showers, dining, and bangkas (outrigger fitted wooden boat). The resort had several day huts and a common barbecue pit on their beach frontage, behind was a 15-20 meter rectangular swimming pool surrounded by a row of cabanas on one side and an enclosed dining area on the other. The beachhead had coarse gray sand that rose to about 2-3 meters above sea level, a sign on how high Pundaquit’s surfs can get during the monsoon season (June-September). Clearly not the best months to ride a bangka or go diving there.

THE BOAT RIDE

The bangkas are smaller than the ones in Anilao, Batangas. They are equipped with single stroke engines, paddles, no sunshades, no ladders and can only accommodate four passengers comfortably with beach gear or two divers with gear. Since we were five, one of us had to sit beside the boat operator.

After a 5 minute boat ride we landed on the east side of Camara’s larger island. Although it was a bit breezy and slight swells were present, the water was quite calm on this side without any current. As we entered the water, the visibility was astounding, quite bluish and about 50+ meters clear in all directions. Sargassum type weeds were abundant near the shore. Skin diving north towards the smaller island strewn rocks with scare corals or fishes was evidence of decades of illegal fishing. 

We wanted to dive on the west side, but the afternoon surge prevented us from doing so.  After enjoying white sand beach and the warm weather we headed back to the resort.

Watching the sunset with loved ones is always the best part in ending the day’s fun moments.

SCUBA DIVING

A few years back, we dove at the northwest point of Capones Island. Although it was a bit breezy and slight swells were present, the water was quite calm without any current. As we entered the water, the visibility was astounding, quite bluish and about 50+ meters clear in all directions. You could literally see the eye of other divers that far. This condition reminded me of the same visibility we experienced decades ago. The terrain started sloping 60 degrees at 15 meters down to about 50 meters before tapering to 30 degrees.

Although the corals were intact, algae growth have covered most of the reef and we didn’t see abundant (schools) reef or pelagic fishes big or small. The biggest were about the size of the palm of a hand and quickly hid among the corals.

We later took our lunch on the south side of the island. There was a small patch of white sand on the beachhead where we ate and recalled past dive experiences. 

       

We made our second dive in the southwest end of Capones Island. The visibility was still spectacular. The coralscape was a bit different, like hills sloping into the deep. However, we still could not find any schools of fish.

We asked our boatman why there were no large or schools of fishes in the area. He explained that cyanide fishing has been practiced in the area for decades. Recalling the dives we made there decades ago, there seemed to have been a bit more fishes then, but were not that much either. The clear water and continuous illegal fishing may have spooked the fishes searching for a deeper and safer haven.

FARO DE PUNTA CAPONES

Other than its beautiful landscape, the Capones Lighthouse is a special attraction of the island. We trekked up the crumbling stairway wherein its last flight, one could see a spectacular view of the Zambales coastline. Further up we found dry grassy knolls with patches of wind blown trees surviving the harsh environment. The partially restored brick lighthouse, part of the Spaniard’s legacy from the 1800’s, stands at the highest point of the island. Standing 53 meters above sea level, its beacon serves as an important navigational tool for ships sailing from Manila and Subic Bay to China. The original light mechanisms were imported from France while local building materials such as molave, narra, tindalo, and other materials were brought in using balsas from the mainland. The red clay bricks used in the main structures were manufactured on the island. The entire construction took six years to complete and become operational.  The Lighthouse is now powered by solar cells, which runs a meteor burst radio transmission system notifying the Coast Guard whenever there’s a malfunction in any of its lights or lenses.After a few photo ops and more viewing we started our descent ending our days exploration.

OTHER ACTIVITIES AND POINTS OF INTERESTS

We motored back to the main land feeling refreshed by the natural and historical beauty of Capones.

Pundaquit has a lot more activities to offer.

Capones and Camara Islands are beautiful campsites and still have fairly good diving areas with many more sites left to explore. The islands are a just a few places to enjoy breath-taking treks. There’s Pundaquit’s waterfalls and the mountain peak located towards the south end of the resort lane. The waterfalls can be found by walking along the riverbed from the shore to about 100 meters upstream. It is best seen during the monsoon season where stronger water cascades down the mini-river creating several pools. And during that same season, Pundaquit’s surfs are there to greet surfers. Pundaquits peak offers a challenge to both novice and avid climbers where spectacular panoramic views of the China Sea and the

northern & southern coastal towns of Zambales. 25 minutes boat ride away is Annawangin Cove whose white sand beach are lined with indigenous pine trees an ideallic place for camping and trekking along its river feeder. 


Revisiting Capones was quite an enjoyable experience. Modernity has started to mushroom in the vicinities providing better amenities to its visitors increasing the toll in Pundaquit’s environment with so much trash in its beach as well as in the islands. That said, the islands itself seem to have been frozen in time giving her guests a chance to feel nature’s beauty at its best.