During her last two years in office , President Aquino 's administration faced series of natural disasters and calamities . Among these were the 1990 Luzon earthquake , which left around 1,600 people dead and the 1991 volcanic eruption of what was then thought to be a dormant Mount Pinatubo , which was the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century , killing around 300 people and causing widespread long-term devastation of agricultural lands in Central Luzon . On November 1 , 1991 Tropical Storm Thelma ( also known as Typhoon Uring ) caused massive flooding in Ormoc City , leaving around 5,000 dead in what was then considered to be the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history . On November 8 , Aquino declared all of Leyte a disaster area . On December 20 , 1987 , the MV '' Doña Paz '' sank which '' Time '' and others have dubbed as " the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster of the 20th century " , given the death toll which were initially estimated to be around 1,500 which later grew for at least 3,000 , and finally exceeded about 4,300 . Aquino described the aftermath as " a national tragedy of harrowing proportions ... the Filipino people 's sadness is all the more painful because the tragedy struck with the approach of Christmas "
1990 Luzon earthquake
1990 Luzon earthquake
Corazon Aquino