Thursday, May 18, 2006


First things first: congratulations to Leo & Erwin for conquering Mt. Everest. It's a source of jubilation not only among mountaineers but also among fellow Pinoys. I won't dwell on how difficult the journey may have been because it's been oft-written, discussed and documented in the media.

So will the milestone help push mountaineering in the Philippines?  I sincerely hope so. Although it also brings fears to the fore. I've come across quite a number of mountaineers who, while strong climbers, are either clueless or reckless of the trash and damage they bring and do to our boondocks. case in point: several mountains have been either closed or considered for closure. Halcon is closed. Makiling has just been recently opened. Banahaw is being considered for permanent closure. while it's nice to attract more people to go into mountaineering, sana naman, i-educate muna natin ang mga sarili natin on how to preserve our mountains.I t took nature thousands of years to evolve and grow. and just a few years for reckless climbers to destroy a millenia of growth.

One more thing: did the media turn the Everest challenge into a competition? While it was nice for ABS and GMA to shower mountaineering with more media airtime, methinks it was also dangerous to pit Romy against Leo & Erwin. Even if the networks deny it, there's added pressure for the guys to really put themselves on the line. Methinks it's some sort of crab mentality that turned the Everest challenge into a race for who's going to be first. Instead of rallying the Filipino people together, it somehow turned into a "Romy-GMA" vs. "Team Everest-ABS" fest.  Sigh. Make it two sighs in a row. Kaya nga minsan, napagiisip-isip ko, for all the talents that we Pinoys have, we really won't get anywhere if we keep thinking and acting like crabs.


Unknown said...

mabuhay ang mga pinoy na nakaakyat ng mt everest, sana balang araw din magkaroon tayo ng pagkakataon na makaakyat din doon.

tama ka, dapat matututo tayong pangalagaan ang sarili nating mga kabundukan, otherwise wala na tayong ipapamana sa ating magiging mga anak, at malamng di rin tayo matututong magpahalaga sa bundok ng ibang bansa kung sa sarili natin ay di tayo maayos.

Anonymous said...

oggie, you've got it straight in the eye. Its Filipino's crab mentality again. A very unfortunate development.

As for littering and trash, there is still much to be done to really educate those who climb mountains. But if people can just throw their trash anywhere, why can't they also do it in the boondocks? Another negative trait of Pinoys, majority of them consider their surroundings as one giant trash bin.

Marco said...

sang-ayon ako sa lahat ng tinuran mo rito pre!


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