• Davao man also conquers Mt. Everest

  Filed under dchs88
  May 20

  Davaoeno also conquers Mt. Everest

  Erwin “Pastor” Emata, a mountaineer from Davao, became the second Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, conquering the world’s highest peak at 5:34 a.m. (7:34 a.m. in the Philippines) yesterday just 14 hours after teammate Leo Oracion made history with his triumphant climb.

  Emata’s feat was relayed by Arturo Valdez, a Bacoleño and leader of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition, who is currently at Base Camp.

  “We we’re stunned [and] excited,” Valdez said in a television interview.

  Hopes for a Philippine Mt. Everest hat-trick are also high as another Filipino mountaineer, Romi Garduce makes his final push for the summit. Garduce is expected to reach the summit today.

  Meanwhile, the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod yesterday unanimously passed a resolution, lauding the accomplishment of Oracion and the FPMEE, saying the group gave honor and glory to the country.

  “It takes great courage for Filipino climbers who are not physically accustomed to the Alpines environment to undertake the scaling of the tallest, most difficult and most dangerous mountain in the world,” the resolution said.

  It also said that the task of Valdez’s group in scaling Mt. Everest took three years of sacrifice and hardship.

  The resolution, authored by SP member Greg Gasataya, also lauded ABS-CBN, the television network supporting the expedition.

  Emata had actually followed Heracleo “Leo” Oracion who reached the summit (29,028 feet) at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday using the South Col route, the same trail climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.*CPT

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