HOME OF THE ASHFALL (an excerpt) by John Jack G. Wigley The eruption of Mount Pinatubo was recorded as the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, and the largest eruption populated area. Ash fall affected almost the entire island of Luzon, and even reached the neighboring countries of Malaysia and Vietnam. To the Kapampangans and to the people affected by this tragedy, it would serve as a testament to their irrepressible attribute of rising about their plight and predicament. I was no longer living in Angeles City when Mt. Pinatubo erupted on June 15, 1991. I was promoted from being a crew member at Pizza Hut Dau to management trainee at Pizza Hut Harrison Plaza in December 1990. It was my first time to work in Manila. Ed Calupitan, a fellow Pizza Hut crew member now based in Manila, offered me a place to stay in his two-bedroom apartment. Weeks before the eruption, I read several news and warnings about Mt. Pinatubo. Frankly, I never knew the...