By Aaron Recuenco
LEGAZPI CITY – Even during his rest time, this veteran volcanologist here could not help but take a glance of Mayon Volcano as part of physical observation amid its ongoing eruption.
Indeed, the name Ed Laguerta is considered as synonymous with Mayon Volcano here – being the usual go-to man for media interviews and for simplication of scientific terminologies for better understanding of disaster management officials.
“It’s part of our job, 24/7 monitoring especially this time when there is an ongoing Mayon activity,” said Laguerta.
Every time he looks at Mayon, Laguerta said he would always recall why he ended up as volcano watcher which he did not even dream of when he was a child.
“My dream was to go to the Middle East because during my childhood days, I would always see some of our neighbors with new toys, new appliances and other things every time they would go home from Saudi (Arabia),” said Laguerta.
For a son of a poor farmer, the feeling of envy is understandable and for Laguerta, it serves as his motivation to be like them – for his family, for his future children.
But fate is not usually kind to dreamers like him. He had to stop his college education after rice pests hit the agricultural land that his parents were tilling.
“I have to go back home. Although I live with my relatives in Manila, we have no money to sustain my education,” said Laguerta.
Back in his hometown in Sorsogon, he said that Bulusan suddenly erupted in 1978 after several years of being inactive.
The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) had to set up a monitoring center in the area which became as a job opportunity for a jobless and financially broke Laguerta.
“They were hiring locals then as part of the staff of the monitoring center and I took my chance, I was hired,” said Laguerta.
That is the time that he took interest in studying volcanos through Bulusan, as he was amazed of how scientists were doing thier job.
“The PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) was so kind to me. They sent me back to Manila to finish my studies and sent me to various seminars and training,” said Laguerta.
Laguerta finished a degree in Electrical Engineering at the Far Eastern University.
He said his choice then was to either finish his Mechanical Engineering degree or shift to Electrical Engineering which is much needed in his job at PHIVOLCS.
“As I look back, I believed that this is really my destiny,” he added.
