Dr. Raymundo Santiago Punongbayan (13 June 1937 – 28 April 2005) was the former director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) from 1983 to 2002. Punongbayan became popular after handling two well-known calamities, the 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. Education Raymundo Punongbayan studied his secondary education at Florentino Torres High School in Tondo, Manila. Punongbayan graduated from the University of the Philippines (Diliman) in 1960 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Geology and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Colorado in 1972. Professional and family life From 1975 to 1982, he had multiple roles. First as Associate Professor of Structural Geology in the University of the Philippines from 1975 to 1982. Then became a Director of the Mines Research Division in Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) in 1977 to 1982. While in the 1978, he was the President/Gen. Manager of Synergistic Consultants, Inc. Afterwards, he became a Professor of Geology at University of the Philippines in 1982. He was then headed as the Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) from 1982 until his death in 2005. His reputation was known globally. Hence, Dr. Punongbayan was considered as a respected figure in the volcanology and seismology community. All throughout his career, he had plenty of accomplishments such as: a licensed geologist, professor, consultant, public servant and author of numerous scientific papers about geophysics and more than 50 books, community organizer and participant in dozens of international conventions for research preventions of natural hazards, and a notable expert in volcanology, geology, disaster preparedness and seismology. A former governor of the Philippine National Red Cross, "RSP", as many of his colleagues and friends known him, became a member of the task force of the Development of Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Prevention Master Plan for the Asia-Pacific Region and Philippine's representative in the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology (COST) Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics . Punongbayan's effort of close monitoring of the volcano and information campaign to apprise persons in the affected towns of Mt. Pinatubo's impending eruption had saved thousands of lives in 1991. Dr. Punongbayan was also a father of four. Recognition