35th anniversary commemoration, Pinatubo eruption
Several communities around Pinatubo have commemorated this huge eruption every 5 years since 1991. This year, as key players and eyewitnesses grow older, and as the COV scheduled for Bend, Oregon is replaced by a number of smaller, local gatherings, we are making an extra effort to capture experiences and rationales for actions taken, for archiving on video and in print.
Dates: June 10-11, 2026.
Venue: Holy Angel University (HAU), Angeles City, at the eastern foot of Pinatubo.
Language: mostly English, but some expressions might be in local language(s).
Key players have been invited to share their experiences. There will be no general call for papers, but we will be happy to accommodate extra stories about Pinatubo or Pinatubo-like volcanoes, in either talks or posters.
Topics will include:
- Pre-eruption unrest and warnings
- Explosive Eruptions! June 12-15
- Where to run? What to eat?
- Pinatubo Aeta- temporarily homeless
- A decade of lahars – impacts and debates
- Even after lahars, perpetual flooding
- Resettlement and diaspora
- Pinatubo and mental health
- Respiratory health issues from ash
- Economic rebound after Pinatubo
- Protection of culture and heritage
- Future Pinatubo-like eruptions, here or where?
There will be mingling and music on the evening of June 10. Accommodation is available via HAU (vvillar@hau.edu.ph; rooms used for hospitality training, P3000-4000 for 2 pax) or at Belajandro Hotel, P3800-5900 for 2 pax, breakfasts included. Registration fee, if any, will be nominal. International access to Angeles City can be through Manila and Genesis bus to SM Clark, taxi to hotel, but it is generally easier to fly directly to Clark Intl. Airport (CRK) from almost any Asian hub city, or even from Middle Eastern hubs, and then taxi to hotel. The largest Philippine carrier to and from CRK is no-frills Cebu Pacific (5J).
Please tell us if you are coming, and of any story you want to add, by April 30, 2026. Send to kapampangancenter@gmail.com
Questions? Contact Dr. Robert Tantingco, rtantingco@edu.ph, Dr. Mylene Villegas, mylene.villegas@phivolcs.dost.gov.ph, or Chris Newhall, cgnewhall@gmail.