Ronnie Tiotuico, DOT regional director for Central Luzon, aired this warning amid reports that as many as 200 trekkers converge at the “natural view deck” at the summit, as he stressed that the area overlooking the crater lake could safely hold only about 20 persons at a time.
In a forum with Capampangans in Media Inc. (CAMI) here, Tiotuico expressed fears for the safety of tourists visiting the crater-summit. “That threat of that natural deck collapsing has been aggravated by concreting the deck, as the concrete sits on mere lahar materials,” he noted.
“It could be a 300-meter collapse into the crater,” he said.
Tiotuico said he has already relayed his fears to the local government of Capas, Tarlac which oversees operations at the crater summit which is within Capas territory.
“The reason why I object ed to shortening the foot trek to the summit to only half an hour is that this could tend to overpopulate the summit and encourage more people to use the viewing deck,” he said..
A road emanating down from Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas, used to be shorter and required tourists to alight from hired vehicles and walk some two hours before reaching the summit.
Tiotuico also reiterated that treks to Mt. Pinatubo summit should be done only during the dry months, a policy he initiated way back when his department still operated tourism operations at Mt. Pinatubo.
He recalled that some years ago after Mt. Pinatubo tourism concerns were assumed by the Capas municipal government, six persons, including three foreigners, were killed on their way to Mt. Pinatubo’s crater during the rainy season.
“Mt. Pinatubo trekking should not really be regarded as sheer recreation. The Aetas regard the Mt. Pinatubo summit as the dwelling place of God whom they call Apu Namalyari. There should be respect for this belief, just as the Japanese reverently regard Mt. Fuji,” Tiotuico added.
