A public high school teacher was only hoping to see the Milky Way galaxy on a clear Sunday night in Isabela City, Basilan, but what he caught on camera alarmed him.

Mark Vincent Wong Lauriaga of the Malamawi National High School was able to photograph pillars of light as if they were streaking down the night sky.

out teaching a friend on basic photography when they chanced upon pillars of light dropping from the night sky.

"Sabi ng mga matatanda, may kasunod na masamang pangyayari daw po. Marami pong mga matatanda ang nagsasabi nyan," he said. (The elderly say that there is something bad that’s going to happen if you see those lights. There are so many old people who say that)

Lauriaga had just agreed to teach a friend some basic lessons on night photography when he saw the heavenly spectacle. "One of my friends po nag-text sa akin before kame pumunta dun sa area sabi niya gusto niya magpaturo basic photography, like mga adjustments po pang gabi daw. So dinala ko camera ko pati sira ko pong tripod (One of my friends sent me a message and before we went to the area, my friend said he wanted to learn basic photography like adjustments you made when taking shots at night. So I brought my camera and my worn out tripod)," Lauriaga told Manila Bulletin on Wednesday. And it was when they were preparing their equipment when the pillars of light appeared. Lauriaga shared that the pillars of light are believed to be an omen of bad things to come. "Kaya ang iba dito sa amin medyo worried po. Pero on my part, I don't believe po," he added. In their local language, Lauriaga said the light pillars were called "kandela-kandela" by the elders. "Kandela is a Chavano word for candle," he said. He said the light pillars were actually unnoticeable at first, and he had to edit the lighting of the photos to clearly see it. "Di po talaga siya kapansin-pansin at first, medyo cloudy na din kasi that time. Kapag hindi mo tututukan, di mo talaga marerecognize kaya po kinuha ko kaagad camera ko, kasi mas klaro sya pag i-long exposure po (It was unnoticeable at first because it was a bit cloudy that time. If you will not really look hard, you will not recognize it so I got my camera to get a clearer look)," he said. "May idea na po ako kung ano sya, pero nakalimutan ko lng po ang name nya. Nasa mind ko yung Aurora thingy same sa Iceland po  (I already have an idea what it was but I forgot its name. I was thinking about the Aurora in Iceland)," he said. He added that on the night that he caught the images of the pillar of lights on camera, they were planning to capture the sight of the Milky Way galaxy. "That night po kuha po sana kami ng Milky Way, kasi mukhang not visible ang moon. Pag di po kasi visible ang moon tapos maraming stars, klaro po ang Milky Way. Tapos yun po, napansin ko po agad siya, gusto ko din po talaga makawitness ng pillars of light ever since po," he said. "Nakakatuwa nga po kasi hawak-hawak ko lang talaga ang tripod ko nung kinunan ko ang pillar of lights (It was really funny because I was just holding my tripod while taking photos of the pillar of lights)," he said.

But state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) may have an explanation for the light pillars. It said these were formed "when ice crystals in the sky reflect light from the moon”. Lauriaga said it was only last April when he was able to buy his first mirrorless camera, and that he, himself, was new in photography. He said he was also able to capture the Milky Way galaxy last August and the Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) last July in the same spot in Fuego Fuego Beach in Isabela City.