Getting the chance to travel and see the Philippine countryside is always a welcome respite from the stress of living and working in a metropolis. But when I was told that I was going to Mt Pinatubo with my colleagues in the Department of Tourism and some members of CAPTA, AFTA and the Philippine Specialists Group, I immediately thought I was in for a tiring and stressful trip. Little did I know that as much as it was going to be some kind of a “wasteland” adventure, it will also be a relaxing and “healing” experience.
The National Geographic Channel once showed a documentary about Pinatubo that talked about the extent of damage to life, property and environment its violent eruption during the early 90’s caused to the Philippines and the world in general. I was definitely exciting as well as it was interesting to see, during a leisure-working trip, the aftermath of the most destructive volcanic event in the Philippines of the 20th century.
A Quick Course on Pinatubo History
In June 1991, after more than five centuries of slumber, little-known Mt. Pinatubo, about 90 kilometers north of Manila, erupted so violently that more than 5 billion cubic meters of ash and pyroclastic debris were ejected from its core spewing eruption columns 18 kilometers wide at the base and heights reaching up to 30 kilometers above its vent.
In its wake, 847 people lay dead, 184 injured, 23 missing, and more than 1 million people were displaced. Hundreds of millions of dollars in private properties and infrastructure lay in ruins which would require tens of billions of pesos and several years to rebuild. For months, the ejected volcanic materials remained suspended in the atmosphere where the winds dispersed them to envelope the earth, reaching as far as Russia and North America. In some scientific reports, it is said that this phenomenon caused the world’s temperature to fall by an average of 1 degree Celsius. Because of this, the eruption of Mt Pinatubo signals not only of the Philippines’, but the world’s most violent and destructive volcanic event of the 20th century.
The mountain lost 300 meters in height and fist-sized fragments of rock rained down on nearby towns. At the time of eruption, a strong typhoon was lashing the central and northern parts of Luzon Island, spreading volcanic ash as far as Metro Manila and other provinces south of Luzon Island, and causing it to turn into lahar (mobile volcanic mud) which flooded downhill from the volcano with dreadful consequences.
The easily eroded lahar flows have created a stunning landscape around the volcano. The Abacan and Pasig-Potrero Rivers have cut channels through the sediment, leaving towering pinnacles of lahar, hanging valleys and canyons.
After the eruptions ended, a crater lake formed in the 1991 caldera, with the 1992 lava dome forming an island. At first, the lake was small, hot and highly acidic, with a minimum pH of 2 and a temperature of about 40 °C. Abundant rainfall cooled and diluted the lake, lowering the temperature to 26 °C and raising the pH to 5.5 by 2003. Presently, this caldera is one of the most sought-after destinations in the Philippines for adventure seekers. (During this trip, I was looking forward to trekking to the edge of the caldera and taking a dip in its turquoise blue-lake, but unfortunately due to the recent rains that fell in the area, portions of the road leading to the peak had to undergo some repairs due to soil loosening and landslides. But it will be open again in October!)
Economic and Social effects
The eruption of Pinatubo severely hampered the economic development of its surrounding areas. Extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure cost billions of pesos to repair, and further costs were incurred in constructing dikes and dams to control the post-eruption lahars.
In total, 364 communities and 2.1 million people were affected by the eruption, with livelihoods and houses being damaged or destroyed. More than 8,000 houses were completely destroyed, and a further 73,000 were damaged. In addition to the severe damage sustained by these communities, roads and communications were damaged or destroyed by pyroclastic flows and lahars throughout the areas surrounding the volcanoes. The estimated cost of repairing the damage to infrastructure was 3.8 billion pesos.
Many reforestation projects were destroyed in the eruption, with a total area of 150 square kilometres (37,000 acres) valued at 125 million pesos destroyed. Agriculture was heavily disrupted, with 800 square kilometres (200,000 acres) of rice-growing farmland destroyed, and almost 800,000 head of livestock and poultry killed. The cost to agriculture of eruption effects was estimated to be 1.5 billion pesos.
Damage to healthcare facilities, and the spread of illnesses in relocation facilities, led to soaring death rates in the months following the eruption. Education for thousands of children was seriously disrupted by the destruction of schools in the eruption. The gross regional domestic product of the Pinatubo area accounted for about 10% of the total Philippine gross domestic product. The GRDP had been growing at 5% annually before the eruption, but fell by more than 3% from 1990 to 1991.
Pinatubo Phoenix
As much as this tour offered a firsthand experience of the bizarre canyons, rugged topography and spectacular lahar formations beyond imagination, it also offered a glimpse to the tenacity, perseverance and industry of the hardy people of Capas, Tarlac. Rising proverbially like the phoenix to find beauty and positive gains in the ashes, literally and figuratively, of probably one of the darkest periods of their province’s history, they are slowly but surely regaining their lost paradise utilizing the source and the very material that caused them hardship in the past. Witnessing and being a part of the rebuilding process of the lives, economy, and environment destroyed by Pinatubo was equally fulfilling as the adventure that lies ahead of us that day.
After travelling for less than three hours, we arrived a little before 10 am at the Pinatubo Spa Town of the Pinatubo Development Corporation in Capas. The Spa Town is a 4,000 square meter health and wellness establishment inside a sprawling 1.2-hectare property in Baranggay Sta. Juliana. The Korean-owned, 100 percent Filipino-managed Spa Town employs around a hundred locals as massage therapists, offers relaxing massages and unique spa treatments that use volcanic ash from Mt. Pinatubo.
The Spa Town also serves as the base camp for Pinatubo adventurers.
Sulphuric Hot Springs
Sta Juliana, Capas is known as the gateway to Mt. Pinatubo. We wanted to go to the the volcano’s peak and trek to get a panoramic view of the 2.5 kilometre-wide crater, but because of the on-going repairs to what they call “Skyway,” we opted to go to the Sulphuric Hot Springs instead. From the Spa Town, a fleet of 4x4’s was waiting to take us to a bumpy journey to the Pinatubo lahar wasteland.
The ride to the hot springs (which was an adventure in itself) took close to an hour. While trying to keep myself secure by holding on to the rails of our 4x4 expertly driven by our driver Allan, I realized that I was travelling through a place that is constantly changing. The landscape was continuously being sculpted naturally by wind and water thru erosion and weathering and artificially by human presence.When we arrived at the Sulphuric Hot Springs, we were greeted and briefed by Noel, a local Aeta guide, who explained the different features of the area. The hot springs complex had 3 pools with varying water temperatures: VERY HOT at more than 45° C, MEDIUM HOT, which is between 41 and 44 degrees C, and the HOT at 36-40 degrees C. It is believed that natural hot spring water heals skin diseases like athlete’s foot and it provides relief to people suffering from rheumatism, arthritis and pains resulting from varicose veins.
Native Aeta Village
After around two hours in the hot springs, we headed back to the Spa Town. Along the way, we took a side trip to a nearby Aeta village to meet the natives and give them some packs of rice. Many of the Aetas who lived on the slopes of the volcano left their villages on their own volition when the first explosions began. The local government provided them with temporary shelters for a couple of years during the rehabilitation of the devastated areas. Soon after, when conditions and the areas around the Mt Pinatubo area were declared safe, they were allowed back to their ancestral lands to continue the life that they had before the eruption.
Volcanic Ash Spa
Back at the Spa Town, after the hearty lunch of local and Korean dishes, we underwent the signature volcanic ash spa treatment. There were two types of volcanic ash being used in the spa: salt volcanic ash which lowers cholesterol, and sulfur volcanic ash which helps cure asthma. The treatment involves covering the body up to the neck with warm/hot volcanic ash for a period of thirty minutes. Both treatments were designed to detoxify the body by removing dirt and bacteria from the skin. The heat from the ash is also said to help ease body pains. The volcanic ash treatment was a fitting prelude to the full body massage that followed it.
To complete the whole Mt. Pinatubo experience at the Spa Town, we enjoyed a relaxing one and a half hour massage by trained local therapists. A combination of Shiatsu and Thai massage, the treatment was very effective in easing the tensions and stress trapped in my muscles. It was also explained to me that the massage removes certain “blocks” in tired muscles for better blood circulation and prevention of lactic acid build-up. Towards the middle of the massage, a mixture of mud and menthol was applied to my face. I was informed that the mud came from Mt. Pinatubo and it is supposed to cleanse the face removing white and black heads making the skin look and feel younger. I don’t know if the facial mud pack made me look younger, but it sure was refreshing and it made my face feel clean.
At around five in the afternoon, we headed back to Manila. On the van as we sped along the highway, I looked back at the day that had just passed and I realized that the Mt. Pinatubo area that I have just experienced was very much different from the Pinatubo that I saw on the National Geographic Channel. Sure, the lahar-filled rivers and the barren cogon grass fields still lay as evidences to the destruction of the past, but in small communities like Sta. Juliana, one can see a different picture. It is a picture of resiliency, an image of strength and a reflection of survival. Mt. Pinatubo and its aftermath state an obvious statement: that no amount of natural calamities or disasters can ever erode away the spirit of the Filipinos to be a phoenix, rising from its ashes, healing itself to completion and filling itself with hope for a brighter future.
The next time I get the chance to experience this again, I will definitely take it, again.
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