‘Scatter my ashes on Mayon, Taal’

The late former chief government volcanologist Raymundo Punongbayan did not believe in premonitions about death.

However, sometime after retiring as head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in 2003, he declared his wish about what he wanted done with his remains upon his death.

"I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered in Mayon’s crater," Punongbayan reportedly said while bantering with his children Lulu, Stauro, Eric and Andaluz and granddaughter Bea.

His daughter Lulu Punongbayan-Jaleco recalled her father said it in jest at first, but later claimed he was serious.

Then he changed his mind: Taal was to be the location.

"Of all the volcanoes that Phivolcs is closely monitoring, he loved Mayon Volcano best, but he changed his mind later and told us he wanted his ashes scattered on Taal instead," she told The STAR.

Lulu said her father could have changed his mind because Taal Volcano in Batangas was his refuge.

She said that when her father took over the helm of Phivolcs in 1982, Taal Volcano had just quieted down after a period of eruptive activity, giving the Phivolcs volcanologists and seismologists a chance to conduct an extensive study of the diminutive volcano.

When Taal became restive from 1991 to 2000, Punongbayan and his team of experts conducted a more intensive study and documentation of the activity within the volcano.

During its quiescent period, Punongbayan spearheaded the promotion of Taal Volcano as a tourist attraction.

While his children already know what to do with his remains, they still have to wait since the bodies of Punongbayan and eight others killed in a helicopter crash in Nueva Ecija last Thursday were burnt beyond recognition.

The STAR learned that DNA testing of the remains will take about three weeks.

"When identified, a tribute for Daddy and the others will be held at the Phivolcs building," Lulu said.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs staff members were overwhelmed with grief at losing a former boss and four colleagues, whom they described as exemplary in their field.

"Sobra ang dedication sa trabaho (They were utterly dedicated to their jobs)," said Annie Encarnacion, who was Punongbayan’s secretary from 1986 until his retirement in 2003. "As a boss, he was kind and considerate. He did not bear anyone ill will."

Until a tribute can be held for Punongbayan and his former colleagues Jess Daligdig, Norman Tongol, Dondi Javier and Orlando Avengosa, the Philippine flag at the Phivolcs building in Diliman, Quezon City will be flown at half-mast.

‘Last Calling Card’

A week before his death, Punongbayan and a team from the Earthquake Megacities Initiatives (EMI) met with Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to discuss a disaster risk management plan for the city, which was chosen as one of three pilot areas for the program in Metro Manila. The other cities chosen were Marikina and Makati.

Punongbayan was a director and treasurer for EMI, an international non-profit, non-government scientific initiative dedicated to earthquake preparedness and mitigating risks to the largest cities in the world.

After the meeting, officials held a press briefing at the office of city deputy administrator Pacifico Maghacot where disaster experts Fouad Bendimerad and Neil Britton discussed the benefits of a disaster management program for megacities.

During the briefing, Punongbayan stayed at the back and declined to comment about possible disasters that could hit Metro Manila.

"It will come, that’s why we are here," he said without elaborating when asked for his comment.

When reporters asked for his calling card, Punongbayan searched his wallet for a few minutes, finally retrieving a calling card bearing the EMI logo.

"This is my last calling card. Please share it with others, baka hindi na ako makontak (They might not be able to contact me)," he joked as he handed his card to a reporter.

Lt. Col. Preme Monta, spokesman for the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said Punongbayan was killed as he was studying possible sites to relocate the victims of the mudslides at Dingalan town in Aurora, Quezon.

He said many of the villagers from Dingalan, displaced by two typhoons that hit Luzon last December, have settled in "danger zones" on higher ground at the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountains.

"These areas are now denuded and are at risk of sustaining more mudslides come the rainy season," Monta said.

He added that Nolcom was informed of the mission of Punongbayan’s team when the helicopter they were riding from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City had to make a stopover at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to gas up. Fort Magsaysay is home to the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, which is under Nolcom’s jurisdiction.

Nolcom commanding officer Lt. Gen. Romeo Dominguez said Punongbayan was conducting an aerial study of the flow of floodwaters around the Sierra Madre range to determine where villagers could be safely relocated.

He added that the tragedy was made worse because among those who died with Punongbayan were some of Phivolcs’ "most skilled experts" in handling calamities.

Meanwhile, President Arroyo said yesterday that Punongbayan showed Filipinos how communities should unite in times of crises and calamities.

"He was an eminent scientist who lived in the social realm and we extol his great contributions, not only to our knowledge about disasters but the ways in which communities could work together to mitigate them," she said.

The President added that "his last mission was symbolic of the deep concern he had for the victims of calamities and he will always be remembered for this deep sense of compassion and civic duty."

After retiring as Phivolcs chief, Punongbayan chose to remain in the country as governor of the Philippine National Red Cross despite juicy consultancy offers from foreign agencies in Japan and the United States.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview that Punongbayan, "up to the last minute," was serving his country. He added that the scientist received no less than 20 national awards in the course of his career.

Masses, Flags At Half-Mast

Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid asked all government and private offices in the entire province to fly the national flag at half-mast to show their gratitude to Punongbayan for saving many parts of Pampanga from Mt. Pinatubo’s lahar flows.

Chief Supt. Rowland Albano, Central Luzon Police director and concurrent chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council in the area, ordered their chaplain to say Mass for Punongbayan and eight other fatalities in the chopper crash.

Punongbayan was the director of Phivolcs when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and had been at the forefront of engineering interventions to save Pampanga and other parts of Central Luzon from the ensuing lahar flows.

Lapid said Punongbayan batted for the construction of the "megadike" at the Pasig-Potrero River, which has served to protect San Fernando City and other municipalities from lahar.

"His contribution in the study and the implementation of projects that saved the province from further lahar devastation was quite significant and for this, we are very grateful," Lapid said.

Local newsmen said Punongbayan had risked both his life and reputation in the aftermath of Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption.

Journalist Rendy Isip recalled that at a meeting with residents of Bacolor, Punongbayan kept his cool when they angrily asked him whether he was playing God by warning that the town was likely to be buried in lahar and they needed to evacuate the area.

Jojo Due of the local paper Pampanga News said Punongbayan risked his career by supporting proposals to construct the megadike despite another scientist’s opinion that the lahar should be allowed to flow without any artificial intervention.

"The megadike saved more densely populated areas from being buried," he said.

Sen. Manny Villar said in a statement that the deaths of Punongbayan and the other scientists represent a big loss for the country.

"These days when much attention is focused on natural disasters after recent catastrophes in the country and in the region, (his) expertise will be deeply missed," he said.

Villar lauded Punongbayan, whom he described as "up to the challenge of his work (until the end). He died in the line of duty, like a good soldier." — With Perseus Echeminada, Benjie Villa, Paolo Romero, Ding Cervantes, Ric Sapnu