Today is the 20th anniversary of Mt.Pinatubo’s eruption back in June 15, 1991.
Apart from the great seductress Anawangin Cove and the famed jewel of blue and green caldera of Mt.Pinatubo, on the other side of the massif, there lies Lake Mapanuepe — another outcome of Mt. Pinatubo’s madness that is unknown to many tourists.
Armed with overwhelming feeling of excitement and curiosity, I boarded the top of a jeep with 2 friends : Dong and Chyng to Anglao town from San Marcelino, Zambales (Philippines). The sun has begun to poke it’s nose further out into the sky unveiling a wide expanse of a deserted agricultural landscape covered with ashes creating an illusion of snow-covered land when viewed from afar.
As the jeep paved the way to the bumpy road that seems to disappear into a postcard perfect field flanked by towering hills, one of the locals asked us where are we going to stay for the night as there’s no more jeep that’s going back to town because it’s a Sunday. For a moment, that thought worried us, but there’s gotta be a way – we would either hitch a ride or walk back .
As the jeep ascended into a winding road, we were welcomed by shouts and laughter of the Aetas ( indigenous people thought to be the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines) now living in shacks beside the road. After the destructive eruption of Mt.Pinatubo, some of them fled to safer grounds and rebuilt their communities. The jeep continued to pave the way to our destination, the sleepy village of Aglao – the jump off point to Lake Mapanuepe.
With Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991, lahars (volcanic mudflows) descending along volcano channels to Marella River, blocked its tributary Mapanuepe River and generated natural lakes. The Mapanuepe River overflowed to the village of Anglao and Bajaoen covering their houses, and livelihoods thus, the name Lake Mapanuepe was born (adopted from the name of the river itself). To prevent catastrophic draining of the lake, a trench was excavated at the bedrock to stabilized it.
As soon as we got off the jeep, we walked hurriedly towards the serene lake. If you know nothing about its dramatic past, it may seem as if it’s like any other ordinary lakes until you come across the only remnant of its past –the sunken church of Bajaoen.
We hired a small outrigger boat from a fisherman to take us to the maroon steel cross that’s protruding out of the water. Some trunks of sunken trees are also seen sticking out as we sail through the lake. The water passage broadened into a wider lake revealing a massif that provides dramatic backdrop for the lake and the cross, though some parts due to mining are eyesores.
As the boatman sailed closer to our destination, the most poignant image of the catastrophe springing to life emerged before us. And all of sudden it felt as if it enveloped us in silence.
A raw and strengthening wind is funneling down the highlands straight to our faces. The unclear waters can be seen in the spaces between the steps of the cross. I was too scared to walk, not because I can’t swim but because I was scared to fall into the unknown. I love adventure, curiosity keeps me alive but at that moment as if the lake whispered to me to be at peace and pay respect.
Everything has to come to an end eventually, even the most destructive catastrophes…that is the cycle of life. For the residents of Aglao, they’ve learned to adopt to such madness and uncertainties. They rebuilt their homes and their livelihood at the banks of the lake.
We we’re already starving so we bought some canned goods from the nearest store by the lake. The store owner offered to cook the food for us and invited us to their humble house for lunch. She confirmed that there’s no more jeep to take us back to town as it is a Sunday so we decided to look for the village chieftain to inquire about our next option. We we’re amazed to find him doing manual labor for the baranggay hall to save money for the village. We we’re lucky because the workers will return home that afternoon so we hitched a ride on their small jeep.
Chyng and Dong Ho playing Bingo with the locals
Over the years Korean investors started invading the tranquil village, in fact, most of the men of Aglao now works for the mining companies, reason why the workers of the baranggay hall all came from the neighboring town. I’m against mining, but as our host narrates, ” It’s the only job of the young men here.”
I have always been intrigued by the unscrupulous significance of the volcanoes in the lives of the villagers like why the locals continue to live in terror and uncertainty beside active volcanoes that destroyed many lives. For some villages and tribes, it’s the century old religious beliefs and respect for the volcanoes that makes them stay, but for the people of Aglao … this is their only home.
Here the cross is not seen as a Roman torture device and more than just a symbol for Christianity, it is a monumental reminder of a tragic past and a symbol of a lost village springing back to life.
ang creepy yung lake, pag nahulog ako dyan, isang community ang bubulaga sa akin… Hahaha!
Si Dong Ho ba yun? yan na yata ang pinaka malapit na picture nya na nakita ko… ehehehe!!! nice! 🙂
yup! naku patay ako! bawal pala mag-post ng nakaharap xa. haha
haha! lagi yan nakatago eh… at least now may idea na ko how he looks… hehehe! 🙂
Eto yung sinasabi ng papa ko dati na pupuntahan namin dapat noon pero we were discouraged by my lolo. I am not sure though if Pili Lake and Lake Mapanuepe is the same. May ancestral house kami sa San Marcelino beside the town plaza 😀
Nakakamiss mag-bingo sa hapon na puro ilokano mga kalaro mo LOL 😀 Makapunta nga dyan minsan 😀
Interesting site to visit. Very creepy nga lalo na if you sail at night. Although it’s an old church, parang tatakutin ko pa rin ang sarili ko kapag dumaan dyan 😀
kakatuwa talaga ang bingo. naka ialng laro din tayo just to learn na may iba palang rules kaya ang dali nilang manalo. it was a fun fun trip.
great monochromatic effect photo Ga-el.
i owe you that part two trip. let’s do it august with you know who.
aayy, naalala ko ang bingo na yan! kaya pala kami hindi manalo, andami dami nilang rules na sila lang ang nakakaalam! haha
di nyo na naman ako sinama 🙁
di ko pa nararating anawangin and pinatubo 🙂 sana soon.
sasama ka daw atty next time. =)
hahaha… next time. kasama ka na talaga
I really like how you presented this trip. Well done. Where’s the next adventure?
Beautifully written. Creepy lake, dinaanan namin to when we went roadtrip, but i never knew about the lake – nor the lost village. galing mo talaga! 🙂
thanks for sharing gael, now we have another place to discover in Zambales.
San Marcelino sits just next to my hometown (Castillejos) but I’ve never tried exploring this part, though I’ve heard about it from my friends. This is unforgivable. Will visit this next month. 🙂
Traveling on top of a jeep is the way to go. Kelan kaya tayo makapag travel togther? Inngit ako.
ako ang inggit sayo! hehe malapet na yan. sana, kapag yumaman na ako, para masabayan na kita mag around the world. hehe
mukhang local ng zambales si chyng:p
I like this post Gael, so far my new favorite – well-written and very engaging.
nakakatuwa naman talagang meron pa rin mg aeta doon.
very great post. parang journalist! I feel like I’m watching a docu turned blog. I hate hearing stories na parang lagi tayo ang trabahador sa sarili nating bansa. 🙁
From the upshot of Mt. Pinatubo’s destruction, there the hype of a new beginning, new home, and to face a new tomorrow. The remnants of the church with unsubmerged emblem of Christianity is the true figure that reminding us about how angry mother nature would pay back what we owed. Let’s cut that cycle and always remember the Golden Rule.
Nice pictures….been to that place one time…
nice post Gael! 🙂
Looking forward to traveling with you 😀
meeting locals is one thing, sharing a game with them – like Bingo in your case – that’s so great! it truly shows they welcome you very openly.
Interesting! Didnt know about this. All I knew was the crater :p
Thanks po sa Pag share… di ko alam to…:)
Ganda po ng mga shots nyo Ms.Gail…
(Yung 2nd – 4th Pic.. parang hindi sa Pinas… ganda..)
teka muna, dong ho at gael, nagplaplano na naman kayo. iiwan nyo na naman ako, magsama naman kayo.
kiddin aside, it’s funny how i haven’t even know this place considering that i am from central luzon. marami pa talagang dapat puntahan sa sarili kong region.
anyways, great shots gael and more trips to come.
It’s amazing how a tragedy could turn these places into something breathtaking and worth visiting to.
Hindi pa rin ako nakakapunta to Anawangin or Mt. Pinatubo. Sana mapuntahan ko next year. =)
Ang creepy nung lake!
Wow, ngayon ko lang nalaman to ah.. kun dito tubig ung lumubog dun sa church ba un, sa albay naman lahar..
Nice one cousin Gael!
Creepy yung lake, habang nasa tubig ka tapos gabi bigla na lang me hihila sayo pailalim, para samahan sila..hihi
Visited the lake on my MTB last February. It’s a 2+ hour one-way ride from San Marcelino town proper. Encountered sandy trails, ascended via a well-maintained asphalt road (surprising), continued with the ascent through loose gravel roads, and made a steep downhill ride on a boulder-riddled dirt road to the lake. It’s a must-try for the accomplished rider. A bit of a headwind during the first half of the ride made it a bit more interesting. Will make that enjoyable ride again this summer.
Hi! We are also planning of visiting Lake Mapanuepe. I would just like to ask if you have a contact person from there. Thanks! 🙂
no contact po. the house before the Lake, yung my store, you can ask sa kanila po. they’re very nice. or the Brgy. Captain.
Hi!
How was the water’s visibility? Do you think it’s workable to do scuba diving in this area? The thought of going through houses and the church itself is very exciting. 😀
Hi Benj! malabo ang tubig eh, pero sabe my nag try daw mag scuba dive ng gabi, mga taga GMA ata. D ko kase napanood ang dokyu segment na yun.
Hi !
We’re going to conduct some research about Lake Mapanuepe and your post was a big help. I would like to know when was these photo taken?
Thank You
Hi
Great post, will go check it out in December, thanks for posting
Chris
im a child and i aim to be an adventurer too. i love your words and your ways of narrating your experience. if i ever got the chance to travel by myself, i’d definitely go here too.