Elevation : 6,168 ft.
Location : Mt Mandalagan in Talisay City, Negros Occ., the Philippines
Gen. Features: The highest point in the Northern Negros Forest Reserve (NNFR); Provides a great view of the whole NNFR and the Guimaras Strait; thick forest cover; the West Wall is its steepest side; a 4-hour trail from the old Patag hospital to the steep West Summit Wall; frequent fog on the summit
Legally, Marapara Peak belongs to Talisay City by virtue of the city's territorial claim over the whole Mt. Mandalagan with the exception of the Patag region. In practice, the Patag Tourism Management and Forest Development Authority (PTMFDA), an organization put up by the rival-claimant Silay City, also stakes a claim to this peak that sits beside Patag, a very accessible upland barangay of Silay City.
The mountaineers in Negros Occidental generally concede that the BBMS achieved the First Mountaineering Climb of Marapara Peak late in its pioneering exploration of Mt Mandalagan. Very likely, this historic climb occured in the late 80's.
Later mountaineering climbs starting in the middle 90's are plenty. These climbs are afforded in part by the existence of a 4-hour trail from the old hospital in Patag which in itself is a popular mountaineering destination. These climbs are guided due to the fact that the PTMFDA enforces a strict regulation requiring all mountaineering activities in Patag to be acoompanied by acccredited guides.
Note: Recent update (Jan 1, 2000) put to nullifies contrary data contained in the previous article.
West Face ? (late 1980's ?)
Butlak-Banaag Mounatineering Society
Accurate details regarding this First Mounatineering Climb of Marapara Peak are not yet available. It is more likely, however, that this historic climb was executed on the West Face and utilized the existing forest scavenger trail that, most likely, originally ended in the water-source below the steep and thickly tangled West Summit Wall. Whether it was a guided or unguided climb remains to be determined.
West Face Trail (January 3, 1998)
Green Knights (LSC-Victorias) : Pedro Palabrica, June Cristal, Jose Ma. Palomo, Joemar Jalandra, Justino
Espinosa; (Guide) Fred
With very light load, the six man party started up the trail at around ten in the morning. Upon reaching the water-sourse, J.M. Palomo who suffered from cramps was left below the summit wall and J. Espinosa voluntered to accompany him while the rest continued the summit bid. Excluding the guide, only three made it to the summit. The ascent and the descent
West Face Trail (July 18-20, 1998)
KSDM-SB : (KSDM) Socorro E. Belgira, Edna Marcasote, Mariebelle Porras, Totong Danoy; (SB) Dennis Ella
Joel Berina and Roger Sildres; (Guide) Gildo Faldas
After a pre-climb day in th old Patag hospital, the party started a gradual climb early in the morning of July 19, 1998 for the summit. They reached the water-source at about 1:30 p.m. and, at 5:00 p.m., the summit where they pitched their tents for a night camp. Having ran out of water, they took a light breakfast and descended immediately early in the morning. At fifty-one years of age, Socorro E. Belgira has set the Record Oldest Woman on Marapara Peak.
North Ridge (December 30, 2000)
Singarong Backpackers : Dennis Ella (Guides) Rene and Ryan
On the second day of camping in Sulfatara-Gamay, Dennis Ella gathered his two guides to climb the North Ridge on the way to the WEST PEAK, the peak west of Marapara Peak. He left two of his fellow mountaineers - Ernina Defino and Mariebelle Porras. The climbers had to hack a trail and in a couple of hours they were able to reach the peak which is mossy and litters with World War II artifacts. This is the first climb of a mountaineer on the peak.
