The 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo 🌋🇵🇭 The second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century occurred in 1991 when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted after 5 centuries of inactivity. Among the many images taken, this one of Alberto Garcia, representing a van during his escape. This won first place in the 1992 World Press Photo competition in Amsterdam. It was also hailed by the National Geographic and TIME magazine as among the greatest of all time.