ON JULY 16, 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake with epicenter located 10 kilometers southeast of Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, jolted a wide area of Luzon at 4.26 pm, with its main shock lasting some 45 seconds, killing over 1,600 people and injuring hundreds of others.
A state of calamity was declared in the cities of Cabanatuan, Baguio, Dagupan, San Carlos, Palayan and San Jose and in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Benguet and Pangasinan.
Baguio City was isolated for days after the major highways to the mountain resort collapsed, trapping thousands of people, including local and foreign tourists, within its confines.
