Raymundo Punongbayan
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Dr. Raymundo Santiago Punongbayan (1937 – 2005) was the former director of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). He served from 1983 to 2002. Punongbayan became popular after handling two well-known calamities, the July 16, 1990, Luzon earthquake and the 1991 Pinatubo eruption. PHIVOLCS is the government agency in charge of conducting volcanic and earthquake monitoring in order to generate data that could be used to predict volcanic eruptions and earthquake occurrences.
Punongbayan graduated from the University of the Philippines (Diliman) in 1960 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Geology. He finished his Ph.D. in geology from University of Colorado in 1972. Punongbayan was extremely accomplished: a licensed geologist, professor, consultant, public servant and author of many scientific papers. He was also a father to four children. A prominent scientist in the global community, he was considered an authority in the fields of volcanology and seismology.
At the time of his death, he was serving as a member of the Philippine National Red Cross Board of Governors. Shortly after noon on April 28, 2005, Punongbayan and eight others died in a helicopter crash at Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. With Punongbayan in the Philippine Air Force (PAF) Huey helicopter (with tail number 324) were four staff members of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and four Air Force crew members. They were on a mission to assess the place as part of the disaster preparedness operations program of the government. They were also looking for possible resettlement for people displaced by flash floods and landslides.
The greatest legacy of Punongbayan to the Filipino people is his expertise in making volcanic and earthquake hazards understandable to the public and striving to save millions of lives affected by disastrous geologic events in the nation's history.
