Lahar: Paraisong Abo

In the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, a volcano dormant for more than 400 years, the residents of the whole town of San Simon in Pampanga was engulfed by dust and thick mudflow called lahar. The whole surviving residents of the devastated community are relocated to transitional evacuation center, a tent city, where different and unique personalities meet: Sheila, a migrant worker from Germany who is struggling to keep her family intact at all costs; Sonia who is looking for her missing husband while pretending as a handicapped so she can beg on the streets; Ditas, who returns in Pampanga after getting pregnant in Manila; and Elena, a mother who lost her whole family in the eruption, yet she keeps a positive outlook in life that as long as she remembers her relatives no amount of tragedy could keep her from reminiscing of their once peaceful lives.

Directed by Mel Chionglo, Lahar: Paraisong Abo leans on a strong ensemble — Tonton Gutierrez, Dawn Zulueta, Jaclyn Jose — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1997.