The Ashes of June

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If you were not in the Philippines on June 15, 1991, your memory of the gigantic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in Central Luzon -- the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century -- is probably hazy. It was before the Internet became a thing; power was off and the airports were closed for almost a week. Thus news reports of the full extent of the catastrophe came in trickles. 

But for those who were there, memories of that day are forever etched in their consciousness. Like writer/historian Robby Tantingco of the Holy Angel University of Pampanga who wrote the award-winning book, Pinatubo: The Volcano in our Backyard. His riveting and heartbreaking story of what happened that fateful day when, for the first time ever, a powerful typhoon and a once-in-a-lifetime volcanic eruption together overpowered the sun is a must-read here. His words:  "It [the eruption] switched off the sun like a light bulb and plunged the province in total darkness. It was so dark you couldn't see your own hand stretched out in front of you, and the ash fall was so thick even sound waves couldn't pass through. Thus, everything was muffled, you had to strain your ear to hear conversation, like a movie with the volume turned low." 

The main explosion of Pinatubo lasted just over 24 hours but the devastation was absolute. 

The ashes of Pinatubo did not stay in the Philippines. It circled the world and enabled spectacular sunsets in the western hemisphere. But for the people of Pampanga and nearby provinces, the mudflow of lahar, which wiped out complete towns, was a four-year nightmare, according to Tantingco. 

Would that such wrath of nature never happen again anywhere.

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With the devastating fire that demolished Lahaina, HI in 2023, the Filipino community expected help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It wasn't sufficient so they organized themselves into the Lahaina Filipino Fire Survivors Association to increase their negotiating power for housing solutions. We're reposting AsAm News' report on how they're faring.

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An interesting report by PF contributing writer Julienne Loreto unearths some historical record of the Visayans in early colonial Philippines, from the chronicles of Spanish missionary and historian Francisco Ignacio Alcina. And yes, it included mentions of lesbian love among them, an item that is rarely mentioned in history. Interesting reading this Pride Month.

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A group of journalism students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines sent in this story on an aspiring singer-songwriter who busks for a living and to pay for his college education. His name is Aris Ashe and he wants to be a psychologist someday. 

Read It Again:

Behind the Growing Popularity of Fil-Am Freemasonry by James Sobredo

Jose Rizal, the Oracle by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Why My Success Is Philippine Society’s Failure by Leo Jaminola

[Video of the Week] Amiel Noble of Noble Creations

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Staff

Celebration!

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May is the most festive month of the year for Filipinos. From Sarrat, Ilocos Norte to Pinamungajan, Cebu to Tubigon, Bohol and many other places in between, fiestas mark the return of townsfolk who have fanned out to distant shores but remain tethered to their hometowns emotionally. It's the time for family reunions, all-out food fests in various homes, mini-circuses, freak shows, processions and the awaited town dance at the plaza where a beauty queen's coronation usually caps the evening's festivities. 

Here in the U.S., May is a mixed-bag of commemorations that honors mothers, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, senior citizens, Mexicans, Haitians, Jewish and awareness of various health issues including mental health and lupus. So wherever you are, whatever your station in life, there's always reason to celebrate May because, above anything else, it's the month of sunny weather and glorious flowers.

We start off this month with a variety of delightful reads:

A challenging but ultimately satisfying trip to Mt. Pinatubo where first-time contributor, Dr. Sonny Siasoco and his family trekked. It's not for the faint of heart as his photo essay, "Positively Pinatubo," illustrates.

What if you've been bequeathed millions and you lost it? That's what happened to Filipina caregiver Hadassah Peri (born Gicela Tejada Oloroso of Sapian, Capiz), and our regular Internet sleuth Myles Garcia dazzles us with details of her fortune that's tied up with the late millionaire heiress Huguette Clark. "Good Help is Hard to Find: The Improbable Story of Huguette and Hadassah" is a must-read.

And for boomers who refuse to grow old, our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco comes up with a list of "Sixties Shades of Gray" that will have senior citizens and soon-to-be seniors laughing, if only the truth isn't so painful. 

The loss of a mother is a wound that never heals and Lisa Suguitan Melnick eloquently writes about it in "Out the Back Door." 

For those May gatherings, something familiar: Macaroni Chicken Salad with Pineapple from the recipe book of Elizabeth Ann Quirino, in The Happy Home Cook.

For our Video of the Week: Vina Lustado, a Filipino American architect who owns Sol Haus Design, a residential design firm, shows off her super-efficient and gorgeous 140-square-foot house in Ojai, California.

And my blog is on my personal May memories.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino