What Happened To Bacolor and Its Residents After The Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

After the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, which greatly affected the entire province of Pampanga, the residents of Bacolor moved to other places in the province. Resettlement areas were built in the towns of Mabalacat, Mexico and San Fernando. Some residents moved to these resettlement areas and continued or shifted to other jobs that are available in the town where they were relocated. The airbase was also evacuated by the American soldiers.

Today, some residents went back to the town and re-built homes where some live and others have some caretakers to tend their homes or their gardens. They also re-built some of the barrio schools where the population have grown. Roads were re-built to make travel more convenient for the residents of Central Luzon and nearby provinces.

In some areas of Bacolor, the farmlands were buried in deep sandy sediments from the volcano and some of these areas are inside the dike today. The dike was built to contain the lahar or lava from flowing down to the other low lying parts of Pampanga. Other towns where there are also dikes made to contain the ravaging flow of lahar or water from the highlands to the low lying towns are found in Tarlac.

Other residents stayed in the resettlement areas and have settled there for good. Some found jobs available in the area, while others moved to other provinces, regions or countries. Those who stayed enjoyed public elementary to high school education for their children who meet the requirements needed. Others, study in privately run schools around the province. Most of the communities have their own mini-public market or 'talipapa' or 'mini-palengke' where trading is done. As a tradition with the residents of Bacolor, bakeshops can also be found all over the resettlement sites, especially in the Bulaon resettlement site in San Fernando, Pampanga. Some of the homes were renovated and aesthetically improved, according, to the needs of the owners of the house. The original sizes of the majority of the houses were 45 square meters including the bathroom. Some put second floors in their houses, others occupied the remaining space between the houses. Others put divisions or rooms inside the houses to have some privacy for sleeping. Others made space for parking lots and others sold their share to others and built bigger homes.

Today, old farmlands in Bacolor, are being planted with rice and maize or corn. Others have calamanci, various varieties of mangoes, and sometimes some sugarcane. Other areas have poultry farms where chickens are grown. The creeks have also been dredged to let water flow properly in some areas. Some parts also have some housing projects in barangay Calibutbut, Balas, and some residents returned to other barangays where some have rebuilt some of their homes.

Good day or good night.