On 17 February 2007, 76-year old Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez led sons Cary and Jay, daughters Rina and Angela and other trekkers from various companies of the Lopez Group up the slopes of Mt. Pulag.

76-year old Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (5th from right) with the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition Team
(L-R) Leo Oracion, Dr. Ted Esguerra, Art Valdez, Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon, Pastor Emata and Ralph Pilapil.

over 9.700 feet above sea level, Mt. Pulag is the highest peak in Luzon. Its area is in excess of 11,000 hectares spread over three provinces--Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, and Ifugao.

Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez, a fitness buff, had been wanting to climb this mountain for the last four years, but was not allowed by his personal physician for medical reasons.

Obsessed by this dream, Lopez passionately committed himself to a regimen that included physical exercise, proper nutrition, and a moderate and healthy lifestyle. In the summer of 2006, he successfully summited the 7,500-feet Mt. Santo Tomas in Batangas. After this feat, his doctor finally yielded and cleared him for Mt. Pulag.

Tapping the support of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition Team and its expedition leader Art Valdez for what may be called an adventure of a lifetime for the 76-year old businessman, Lopez led sons Cary and Jay, daughters Rina and Angela and other trekkers from various companies of the Lopez Group up the slopes of Mt. Pulag on February 17, 2007.

Sight to behold

The group left Baguio for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) station in Ambangeg for a mandatory briefing by park superintendent Emerita Albas. From there they proceeded to the Ranger station in Babadak through rough roads for a quick lunch before taking off in nine groups. The hike to Camp 2 took four hours. By the time the campsite was reached at 5 p.m., all the tents were up and ready for occupancy through the efficiency of the University of the Philippines (UP) Mountaineers and its band of local "Sherpas."

February 16, the eve of the climb to the summit, was cold but clear. The stars were out in full force, twinkling as far as the eye could see in every direction. The night sky provided a spectacular display of sparkling constellations, brilliant planets, the Milky Way and shooting stars. A trained eye could spot an occasional jet plane or satellite passing overhead. It was a sight to behold.

Stargazing was how Dr. Ted Esguerra (expedition doctor), members Pastor Emata (the second Filipino to scale Everest on May 18, 2006), Noelle Wenceslao and Carina Dayondon (the first Philippine females) spent that evening. Leo Oracion (the first Filipino to scale Everest on May 17, 2006) and two other members chose to rest, while expedition leader Art Valdez and Fred Jamili (Former President of the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc.) chose to join a group of merrymakers before calling it a day.

The Final Climb

Camp 2 is the DENR's designated camping site for Mt. Pulag trekkers and the holding area for those who contract high altitude sickness. It is large enough to carry as many as 120 campers comfortably within respectable distance from each other.

The trekkers awoke at 2 A.M. on February 17 to prepare for the final climb. Hot cups of coffee helped raise body warmth and keep the single-digit chill of early morning at bay. Power bars and trail food were stuffed in pockets, cameras and headlamps checked.

At 3:30 A.M., a long and winding single file of what looked like fireflies marched off to watch the sun rise from the vantage point of the mountaintop. It took two hours at a steady slow pace in the dark to reach it just in time. As we congratulated one another, the horizon gradually brightened, starting from a blue haze that stretched in both directions until it became a burst of yellow, orange and red to usher in the rising sun. Below us was a calm sea of clouds that covered much of the mountain range.

Prayers of thanksgiving

For the next hour, there were lots of backslapping, picture taking and silent prayers of thanksgiving. We stood there in awe of Nature's majesty. It was enough to remind the forgetful that there is a God to behold, a superior power that made the universe and holds it together.

From the starting point in Baguio up to the time that the summit was reached, a team of doctors and paramedics monitored vital signs such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation level and heart rate. Except for a handful that suffered from leg cramps, high altitude sickness and gastroenteritis, Lopez and everyone else's registered normal.

Demanding exercise

The Pulag climb was a demanding organizational and logistics exercise. Expedition organizer Rafael Alunan III, president of First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corporation (FPIDC), credited Rico de Manzana (First Philippine Holdings Corp. and Lopez Lifelong Wellness Team) for executing the expedition plan with German-like precision with the help of Isagani Velasquez (FPIDC and Wellness Team) and Bernie Cavida of the UP Mountaineering Club. Food, transport, porter, quartering, safety and emergency requirements were orchestrated with admirable efficiency.

The eternal messsage

Lopez and the First Philippine Mt. Everest Team are trying to deliver the same message—that adversity should not be a bar to achievement. Both had personal goals to reach the summits of their choice. But on a higher plane, their message to all and sundry is, with commitment, obsession and passion, any challenge can be overcome.

It is symbolic of the Lopez Group's trek through the peaks and valleys of business that drives home the eternal message that adversity should not deter anyone from attaining a goal; that one must continually strive in order to achieve.

Reference:
Rosan Cruz
Benpres Group PR
tel: (63-2) 449-2856
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