Past government’s efforts had only brought them to safety and ended with their relocation away from Pinatubo, the abode of their deity, Apo Namalyari. It was the first time for lowlanders to see that many Aetas descending from the highlands, says Balintay, 62. They performed a ritual asking Apo Namalyari what made him so angry that he had to vent his wrath through Pinatubo. According to Antonio Fernando, a retired military colonel who served as MPC director from 1994 to 1998, there was never a plan to bring the Aetas back to their ancestral land. The MPC’s focus back then was to get the Aetas out of harm’s way, he said, noting that the lahar avalanches from Pinatubo remained a serious threat up to 1997.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 12, 2021 21:23 UTC