By Reisha Mae F. Valdez, UC student
At exactly 4:26 p.m. on July 16, 1990, life in Baguio changed forever. In less than a minute, buildings that once symbolized progress crumbled into rubble, roads became impassable, and thousands of lives were altered by a tragedy that would leave scars far deeper than the cracks in the ground.
Today, 36 years later, the 1990 Luzon earthquake remains one of the darkest chapters in our city’s history. Yet for many young people, it exists only in photographs of the collapsed Hyatt Terraces, stories told by parents and grandparents, or annual commemorations held every July. As time passes, the danger is not that we will forget the earthquake happened. The danger is that we will forget what it tried to teach us.
Baguio is often praised for its resilience. The city rebuilt itself from devastation and transformed tragedy into determination. The earthquake led to better disaster preparedness, stricter building requirements, and a greater awareness of the importance of public safety. It also inspired ideas that continue to shape the city today, from urban planning initiatives to community-driven efforts that strengthened local governance.
However, resilience should not become an excuse for complacency.
Walking around Baguio today, one cannot ignore how much the city has changed. High-rise buildings continue to emerge, commercial establishments expand, and available open spaces become increasingly limited. While development is necessary, it must never come at the expense of safety. The lessons of 1990 were written through loss, and those lessons deserve more respect than being remembered only during anniversary programs.
What makes the earthquake relevant today is not simply the fact that it happened. It is the reality that another one can happen again. We cannot predict when the earth will move, but we can decide how prepared we will be when it does. We can choose to enforce building standards, support responsible urban planning, participate in disaster preparedness programs, and ensure that public safety remains more important than convenience or profit.
The survivors of 1990 often speak not only of collapsed buildings but also of fear, uncertainty, and the struggle to rebuild their lives afterward. Their stories remind us that disasters do not end when the shaking stops. The consequences can remain for decades.
As Baguio prepares to build a memorial for the victims and survivors of the earthquake, we should remember that the most meaningful tribute is not a monument made of concrete or steel. It is a community that listens to the lessons of history and acts upon them.
The 1990 earthquake should not be remembered merely as a tragedy from the past. It should serve as a warning for the present and a guide for the future.
After all, the true measure of resilience is not how well we recover after disaster strikes, but how wisely we prepare before it does.**
