LOCATED in the vicinity of Mount Pinatubo in Zambales, Lake Mapanuepe was created after the eruption of the volcano in 1991, its wake of lahar blocking the drainage of Mapanuepe River, flooding the valley and the settlements.

While the view of the lake is nothing short of spectacular, laden with pine trees and grass growing from the lahar baked terrain, with campers and visitors calling it 'New Zealand of Zambales' thanks to social media, the lake is a reminder of the horror that the cataclysmic event in 1991 had left in its wake. Hence, Lake Mapanuepe deserves its own definition.