The people of Pampanga will once again commemorate the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Sunday, June 15.
The climactic eruption of the 600-year dormant volcano began around 1:42 early afternoon of June 15, 1991, sending an ash cloud 40 kilometers into the atmosphere.
Aggravated by the onslaught of Diding, pyroclastic surges and ash deposits caused massive lahars.
It was the second-largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century that resulted in massive destruction in the provinces of Zambales, Pampanga, Bataan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.
To commemorate its eruption and celebrate the resiliency of Kapampangans, Pampanga Third District representative Aurelio Gonzalez, Jr. filed in 2011 House Bill 3948.
The bill seeks to make June 15 of every year a non-working day in Pampanga, being Mount Pinatubo Memorial Day.
Thereafter after it passed the House and the Senate, former President Rodrigo Duterte issued through Proclamation 1159 s. 2021, declaring June 15 a special non-working day in Pampanga and Angeles City.
Last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., signed Proclamation No. 234 to commemorate the 33nd anniversary of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption and the resilience of Kapampangans.
Both proclamations were meant to pay tribute to people who perished, as well as those who survived and helped in the relocation, rehabilitation and recovery of families affected by the disaster.