18/03/2026
"Going home never entered my mind. In a disaster my discipline was to go where I could help. Even my volunteers didn’t go home for a week, and their parents understood perfectly."
There were fewer evacuees from Mabalacat and Dau than Angeles because we were able to broadcast from DZFA our advisory to stay home and clean their roofs. Mayor Domingo had also asked us earlier to count the people in different evacuation sites and we used the opportunity to tell them what to do in case of ash fall.
From the radio station at the Marina Arcade in Dau we went to Holy Angel via expressway and the Pandan Bridge, to deliver relief goods. When we heard on the radio that Abacan Bridge was collapsing, we proceeded there.
It was about 3 P.M., but already very dark. In pitch darkness we could hear deep rumbling every 30 minutes, and the ground was shaking which was caused by the approaching lahar.
I was able to take pictures before the river swept the bridge away, like a piece of paper. It was a terrible moment for everyone. It was raining rocks and mud and thousands of people were fleeing and all roads were clogged with vehicles. It was also hard to breathe. The sulfur burned your skin and lungs.
We took shelter under a tree in Pulungbulu, near Mangga, where the large trees stood. You see how helpful trees could be in times like that.
Going home never entered my mind. In a disaster my discipline was to go where I could help. Even my volunteers didn’t go home for a week, and their parents understood perfectly.
My Pinatubo Story
Cecile Yumul
Broadcaster and Red Cross volunteer
This Women’s Month, we spotlight the women storytellers of Pinatubo whose voices, courage, and service shaped how communities survived and remembered those days.
