| First Ascents of Philippine Peaks |
| Literature on mountaineering in the Philippines from the recorded era - Spanish colonial period - to the present has remained scarce and, generally, difficult to obtain, hence any pronouncement of a first ascent of a Philippine peak must be regarded as a dubious claim. Until now, there isn't any mountaineering magazine like "Climbing" in the US to encourage research on the subject or to put on publication the mountaineering records done in the country. Proficiency in Spanish and formal training in archival research, not to mention fabulous funding, are necessary credentials to gain an understanding of the mountaineering practices and achievements in the Hispanic past. Luckily, Fr. Miguel Bernad S.J., aside from being a noted literary critic, is also an ardent mountaineer who has left a legacy in research, written in English, about mountaineering in the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. His works, including his very own accounts of climbing in the 50s and 60s, are contained in mountaineering essays in his book, History Against the Landscape, published by La Solidaridad Publishing House in Manila, 1965. Irrespective of the deficiency in narrative details of climbs cited in this book, the author commands an authority with regards to exhaustive search for all extant records about the subject, mostly manuscripts in Spanish. At any rate, the following items may be construed as progress reports on the search for the elusive first ascents of Philippine peaks. |
| Mount Apo: October 10, 1880 In his essay, "The 'Snows' on Mount Apo", Bernad shows that Mount Apo, fittingly as the highest peak in the country, is a very difficult mountain to climb in the 1800s. It drew only the most resolute individuals to take on the challenge of climbing its perilous summit. Among these men of great resolve is Don Jose Oyanguren, governor of Davao, who organized the first expedition to climb Mount Apo in 1852 (antedating the first ascent of Wetterhorn in 1854 by Sir Alfred Willis thus ushering the "golden age" of modern mountaineering). In the absence of roads, this expedition approach by way of Tagulaya River. Encountering fierce jungles and hardships, this expedition retreated in failure and 20 members died from exhaustion and perhaps malaria after their return. The second expedition composed of 31 men led by Real, also a governor of Davao, approached by way of Tabon. While it was also defeated, it had no casualty. Don Joaquin Rajal (governor of Davao) together with Fr. Mateo Gisbert and Dr. Joseph Montano (Frenchman) fit the third expedition in 1880. With the help of Datu Manig, one of the chieftains of the warlike Bagobos, this expedition started in Davao on October 6, 1880 and reached the summit on October 10, 1990 (other sources place it on October 11, 1880). Bernad rules that it is the 'first ascent' with implicit reservation. Understandably, the Bagobos enjoys the exclusive domain of the interior, not far from the summit. However, belief on the sacredness, if not frivolous wrath, of Mandarangan, the god of the summit, must have prevailed upon this tribal people not to venture to the summit. In fact, among the Rajal party were 13 Bagobos who, with fear, almost desisted at a point from following the Christians to the summit. One of the Bagobos, a sort of an old sorcerer, told his fellow Bagobo that he had seen Mandarangan leave the crater and fly away in the clouds. Confirming the vision, they then followed the Christians up to the summit. |
| Canlaon in the Advent of the 20th Century In his essay, "The Ascent of Canlaon", Bernad does not pinpoint the date of the first ascent but, nonetheless, suggests that the 'recorded first ascent' of Canlaon (8,085ft) must have occured in the early 20th century. Differentiated from the 'first ascent', a 'recorded first ascent' may be defined as as the first occurence of a climb to the summit based on available records. According to Bernad, there is no mention of Canlaon in early literature. Under the name Malaspina (after Alejandro Malaspina - a Sicilian nobleman in the Spanish navy), Canlaon appeared for the first time in maps in the 19th century and exists with that name until the early 20th centuty. About this time, Jose de Lacalle (1886) speaks of the dense forest of Canlaon and tells of a party of Englishmen who attempted to climb the crater but died from "exhalations". However, Fr. Miguel Sadera Maso S.J., maintains only one published report of "ascent" before the 20th century. It belongs to Mencarini, a "well-known publicist of the Far East", who has reached the lowest solfataras (could it be Mambucal?), which were nowhere near the summit. Using the papers of Fr. Miguel Selga S.J., Bernad cites, among others, two climbs in the early 20th century implicitly suggesting the 'recorded first ascent'. First, in 1902, Charles S. Banks "climbed" (not necesarily 'summited') Canlaon with a party of American teachers. Second, in 1916, Echanojauregui, a Spaniard residing in Negros "walked up to the summit". Obviously, for as long as the 1902 climb remains vague with regards to its legitimacy as a consummated ascent , the 1916 climb holds the distinction as the 'recorded first ascent'. Nevertheless, the true 'first ascent', very likely unrecorded, must have occured long before the known climbs. Historically, the slopes of Canlaon had settlers, composed of Negritos and Malay tribes like the Carolanes, even before the 19th century. No explicit psychological deterrence (i.e. Mandarangan in Apo) could inhibit those early settlers to summit the volcano. Significantly, the recorded climbs of Selga (March 1933), Federico Viaplana (April 1933) and Bernad (1961) are typical of the mountaineering practice of the time. These patrons of mountaineering belong to the gentry who rely on the services of cargadores or porters who doubled as trail guides. By inference, it is not so farfetched to assume that the rest of the Canlaon climbs cited by Bernad could be classified as the 'mountaineering by the gentry'. Regardless of everything, guided climbing is a way of climbing a mountain long before explored by predecessors, some of whom established the trails. |
| Mount Baloy: 1990s For a long time Mt Baloy (7,049ft), situated in the heart of Panay Is, is held in isolation. It saw intense mountaineering activities in the early 1990s with two clubs attempting to climb it from two sides - the west in Antique and the east in Iloilo province. Naturally, the Antique Mountaineering Society, did carry out its two fruitless attempts from the west. For its part, the Iloilo Mountaineering Club attacked it from the west, for seven days in one of the attempts.. Fortunately, the IMC earned the first ascent in the second attempt. With the aid of the locals living in Karatagan, a village at the foot of the mountain, the IMC ascent must have groped their way through the forest in the absence of trails. |
| Mount Madja-as: November 1997 Situated in Culasi, Antique, Mt Madja-as (6,822ft) remains covered by pristine forest. The resilience of Madja-as from deforestation (the west slopes of Antique mountains at elevations up to 4,000ft ASL are cogonal -the result of logging) could be explained in great measure by the magnitude of its sheer walls with falls cascading down more than 1,000ft - the "mga luha ni Madia-as" or "tears of Madja-as". Japanese presence in World War II is noted in Banderahan Dos up on the summit-ridge. Mountainering was introduced in the mountain by the Antique Mountaineering Society in 1977. The MFPI Annual Congress and Climb was held there in 1981. Since then, several other climbs and scientific expeditions have occured on Madja-as. Despite of these sojourns of man, the 'first ascent' of the true summit likely occured late in November 1997. A 20-member party led by Baby Gallego of AMS carried out a 7-day traverse from Alojipan to Flores, covering the summit-ridge and, by volition and necessity, touching the true summit. On setting foot on the true summit, Gallego remarked that it is his first time to do so. As a member of the 1977 and 1981 climbs, he was implying that the two previous climbs managed to climb only the "ante-summits", false summits which Madja-as have plenty. |
| The Peaks of Mount Silay at the Close of the Millenium Mount Silay is situated in the highland interior of northern Negros Is (declared in 1946 as the Northern Negros Forest Reserve). Rapid frontier expansion (conversion of forestland into haciendas) from 1850 to 1898 may have reach the western periphery of the area of NNFR. Pushed inland, the Negritos left vestiges of settlements in the W and S borders adjacent Mt Kanla-on. Malay tribes must have settled in the SW border in the territory of old Minuluan (now Talisay City). NNFR was held in seclusion by the sheer mountain slopes enclosing its interior, which for a time is an inhospitable jungle. In World War II, a great number of Japanese soldiers in Mandalagan succumbed to ‘takig’, the feverish symptom of malaria. In the western border, Gawahon whose old name is Alipo-op, meaning ‘fog’, in the 60s for the intruding loggers was a malevolent backwater, repulsive for its perpetual rain, mist and fog (akin to the weather of Ruwenzori in Africa), colonies of fierce monkeys and exceedingly abundant blood-sucking ‘alimatok’. Made less hostile and less inaccessible by logging, the interior became the refuge of insurgents in the 70s and became restless at the height of insurgency in the early 80s. With relative peace restored, mountaineering in Mt Silay arrived in 1990 (mountaineering in Mt Mandalagan was introduced in 1980). For years, mountaineering in Mt Silay had been confined in Gawahon until the Singarong Backpackers arrived to introduce its brand of mountaineering. After more than a year of independent search, the SB re-discovered the breach to the interior through the high pass, a logging road over the col of Gawahon and Dinamlagan Peaks. Single-handedly, the SB, thereafter, penetrated the remotest enclaves of Mt Silay, exceeding by far the domain established by the barefoot ‘mangunguway’ (rattan-gatherer). Sicaba-Daku Peak (August 31, 1999): Popularly known as Sewahon, Sicaba-Daku Peak (4,524ft) lies about 5km NE of the official summit of Mt Silay. Both peaks are separated by the gorge of Sicaba-Wala, major branch-source of Sicaba River. On the fourth day on the mountain, August 30, 1999, the members of the SB party – Dennis Ella, Pedro Palabrica and Mariebelle Porras – were desperately looking for a passage out on the jagged mountain. The night before, they bivouacked on the official summit of Mt Silay – the first mountaineers to climb it. Avoiding the ascent-route, they opted for a northeast detour for the descent. Eventually, they went canyoning across the untracked high-elevation valley of Sicaba-Wala, scrambled up the northern bank and stood on a narrow ridge (they later called it Bakiras) which is thick with ‘bariw’ growth. Left with no other choice, they carried out the first traverse across its 4km span in 24hrs, including a difficult bivouac. They scrambled over the trail-less South Ridge and summited at 5:00pm of the fifth day with no more water left for supper. Sewahon is bereft of commercial wood to lure further approach of logging, coming from the N and W sides – facing the inhabited slopes. It is deficient in forest products to lure the resilient ‘mangunguway’ and ‘mangangayam’. For the superstitious, it is the abode of the guardian spirits who would not spare their wrath to the transgressors. Above all, the peak with precipitous ridges and sheer faces is a natural wall. Pedro, in his conversation with a former high-ranking NPA commander, got confirmation that indeed the peak is unclimbed. The absence of trail in the upper-summit (trail was observe about 2,000ft below the peak during the descent) further vouched for the ‘first ascent’ earned by this party. Sicaba-Diotay Peak (September 15, 2000): The highest point in Mt Silay, Sicaba-Daku Peak (5,039ft) lies 1.4km SE of the official summit. On its fifth attempt to climb Mt Silay, the SB party (Dennis Ella, Pedro Palabrica and Mariebelle Porras) set out from Gawahon on September 13, 2000, In the second day, the party, while bushwhacking across the dense forest in the southern base of Mt Silay, chanced upon a familiar spot after overshooting a targeted ridge. Near the end of a logging road, this spot is not far from the campsite of the previous month attempt of Sicaba-Diotay. By the third day, Dennis and Pedro left Mariebelle in the camp to try a second attempt of Sicaba-Diotay. The duo saw a breach through the rock-wall, high up on the West Ridge, the furthest point reached by the previous attempt. Deferring lunch at 12:00 noon, the duo encountered scrub (typical on the Madja-as summit-ridge) and summited at 2:00pm in almost zero-visibility fog. The SB considers it a first ascent. While logging has reached the lower slopes of the peak, it abandoned the higher slopes which lacks commercial wood. The daring few who has known Sicaba-Diotay abhors its remoteness and living pythons. The party had seen scant very old cuts and slashes past the rock-wall but these evidences of passage vanished 300ft below the summit. |