Leo Oracion of Philippine Team - 1st PINOY TO REACH MT EVEREST SUMMIT

[garfield22]

is this true?bakit sabi sa news duda pa yun iba sakanya

[baludoy]

not according to abonejar. may proof daw siya na siya daw ang unang pinoy sa tuktok ng mt everest

[garfield22]

naprove na ba nya?

[promayk]

Tibet mountain group certifies Abenojar was 1st Pinoy on Everest
By Rainier Allan Ronda
The Philippine Star 05/30/2006

Dale Abenojar is the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest — on its Tibet side.

That’s according to a certificate issued by the Mountaineering Association of Tibet of the Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China.

The certificate shows Abenojar reached the altitude of 8,844.43 meters, Mt. Everest’s summit, at 10:45 a.m. on May 15.

This indicates that he reached the peak of the world’s tallest mountain a good two days ahead of Heracleo Oracion of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition (FPMEE) team, who was earlier announced to be the first to do so last May 17. Oracion, Erwin Emata, and Romeo Garduce reached the summit of Mt. Everest on its Nepal side.

The certificate as well as photographs of Abenojar at the summit were sent to The STAR by Robin Mendoza, a supporter of Abenojar who had gone to Kathmandu in Nepal to help the climber set the record straight.

Mendoza said he arrived at the Kathmandu International Airport on May 25 from Bangkok, Thailand and was met by Abenojar and his camp manager, Ram Krishna Tripathi. They went straight to Hotel Manang in Paknajol, Thamel in the same city.

"After checking in, we met Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa, one of Dale Abenojar’s Everest guides and... were introduced to Jeevan Shrestha, the secretary of Elisabeth Hawley, a respected American chronicler of Mt. Everest. She has taken into account hundreds of expeditions in Nepal and Tibet each year for more or less four decades," Mendoza said.

He said Shrestha arranged a meeting to interview Abenojar’s guide on the details of his team’s Everest expedition.

"The interview is part of an effort to account all the factual and circumstantial details of the climbing expedition of all Everest climbers. A report of an official list is expected to come out every end of each climbing season in Nepal. On the other hand, a climber can submit to the process only on a voluntary basis," Mendoza said.

He added that Abenojar’s "arrival photo" is a "‘statement’ that we have submitted to a respected and independent ‘third-party’ authority" — namely Hawley — to establish Abenojar’s feat.

The Standing Committee of China’s Tibet Autonomous Regional People’s Congress enforced in July 2004 "The Rules on Administration of Foreigners’ Mountaineering in Tibet."

The rules were the first of its kind drawn up by Tibet, and state that anyone who comes for mountain-climbing, expedition, skiing, gliding or rock-climbing at a mountain peak over 5,500 meters above the sea level in Tibet or at the border of Tibet should get clearance and certification from the Tibet Mountaineering Association. Abenojar made his climb from the Tibet side and falls under the jurisdiction of the TMA.

Since 1980, Tibet has opened 44 mountain peaks to foreigners and received nearly 6,000 mountaineers from 26 countries. Coming home
Lisa, Abenojar’s wife, said while she welcomed the issuance of the certificate, she already believed it was her husband who could really lay claim to the honor since she got a call from him last May 15.

"Kahit dati pa naman, alam ko na na siya talaga ang nauna sa taas ng Mt. Everest (Even before, I knew that he was really the first Filipino to reach Mt. Everest)," she told The STAR yesterday.

"What I’m praying for now is that Dale comes home safe and sound," she added.

It was learned that Abenojar was recuperating from frostbite on his left big toe suffered during his climb. Many climbers have lost their lives attempting to reach the peak of Everest.

Lisa said her husband regularly had his frostbitten toe checked but doctors already declared that there was no need for the toe to be amputated.

Aside from the frostbitten toe, Lisa said that her husband — at least in her opinion — should gain back several pounds that he lost during his climb of Mt. Everest, judging from his photos she received through e-mail.

"He looks thin. He lost a lot of weight," she said.

Lisa said her husband, who may come home next week, has been calling her regularly over the past few weeks.

"He sounds okay naman. He sounds excited and happy. Kuwento siya ng kuwento (He keeps telling me) about his climb," she said.

Lisa said Mendoza was among the many people who silently supported her husband’s equally silent expedition to climb Mt. Everest.

She said many people also gave expressions of support that encouraged Abenojar in his quest.

Dale, an adventure sportsman and businessman who engages in the buying and selling of cars, first gained fame when he accomplished the feat of being the first to drive a vehicle, a Land Rover, to the top of Mt. Pinatubo several years ago.

Lisa said her husband was also the first to declare his intention to climb Mt. Everest in 1994, in a bid to be the first Filipino to plant the Philippine flag on top of the mountain.

Abenojar was said to have climbed Mt. Everest through the northern route, said to be the more difficult route. Dampened mood
Abenojar’s certification may have dampened the mood for the homecoming today of Oracion and his six teammates from the FPMEE, which includes Emata, said to be the second Filipino to reach Mt. Everest’s peak.

Supporters and fans of Oracion and the FPMEE have reportedly prepared a warm "heroes’ welcome" for the team when they arrive via Philippine Airlines flight PR 731 that is scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m. tonight.

Former President Fidel Ramos is expected to welcome the team. A press conference has been scheduled at the Presidential Lounge of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, where Oracion and Emata will recount their experiences.

Officials from the team’s sponsors will be on hand to welcome the FPMEE members, headed by former transport undersecretary Arturo Valdez. Other members of the team are Dr. Ted Esguerra, Jong Narciso, JB Añonuevo and Fred Jamili, who served as their support team at the Mt. Everest base camp.

From the airport, the team will proceed to ABS-CBN headquarters in Quezon City for a series of television interviews.

On Wednesday, a motorcade will be held from Manila to the central business district of Makati starting at 2 p.m. to honor the team. There will also be a street party at Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard.

Mark Parlade of Stratworks, the FPMEE’s public relations coordinator, said they will be pushing through with their festivities honoring Oracion and Emata as first and second Filipinos on top of Mt. Everest.

Told of Abenojar’s certificate, Parlade said it was not absolute proof of his claim.

"That’s not all that’s needed to prove that you summited. There’s photos and videos. And several international Mt. Everest mountaineering associations had already recognized Oracion as the first Filipino to reach the summit," Parlade told The STAR.

[garfield22]

baka tinanggal ni oracion yun philippine flag na nauna sakanya....hehehehe

[garfield22]

mr.leo oracion,what can you say about his(abenojar) claim?

[sPideRX]

Oracion: Abenojar could have scaled wrong summit

The members of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition on Tuesday rejected claims they were beaten to the punch by independent Filipino climber Dale Abenojar.

Abenojar claimed he was the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest on May 15.

Leo Oracion reached the 8,848-meter mountain on May 17. He was followed by Pastour Emata 14 hours later.

"Actually I'm not worried d'un sa picture niya sa newspaper. Ibang-iba doon sa nakita namin..hindi yung ridge (I'm not worried about his picture that was used by some newspapers. It was different from what we saw at the summit)," Leo Oracion told reporters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

So there, ayaw nyang agawin ni Abenojar ang trono nya

[garfield22]

leo oracion,sour graping!!!!!!!!!!hahaahahhahahaha..pahiya!!!!!!paiyak iyak pa..hehehehehheheh

[dyerbz]

i know it may be unjust to judge people by their reputation, but while leo, pastor, and garduch are considered local legends in the philippine mountaineering community, dale is seen mainly as a showman. he's a pretty accomplished climber in his own right, but his exploits are a far cry from those of the big three. that's why i will treat his claim with skepticism pending further evidence.

[promayk]

Sorry dyerbz, but I treat oracion, garduce and abenojar on the same level here. It doesn't matter to me if you are a showman or not. What matters is if abenojar was really the first to climb everest or not. If he did climb it first then he should be recognized as such. With or without sponsors. If the pictures of abenojar and the certificate he got should be treated with skepticism, then I don't see any reason why the claim of orcaion and ABS-CBN should not be treated with criticsm as well. What made their claim any different from that of abenojar? Is it because they came from a big TV stations and rich sponsors who have everything to lose should oracion was indeed the only 2ND pinoy to scale everest?

[garfield22]

Mapapahiya sila pagTOTOO ang claim ni abenojar considering they have sponsors.Hindi nga ba pahiya sila pagganun ang nangyari?Anyway,mister oracion,it's all yours..you are the 1st filipino to reach the summit of mt.everest tutal bagay naman sayo

[promayk]

I don't have anything against oracion, garduce, et al. I just wanted us to be wary of all these claims from either ABS-CBN or GMA. Let's take them at face value kasi ang mga news nila ay may agenda most of the time. Sa tingin what they report to the viewers are news items that will help propel them to the standings kaya minsan baka di talaga totoo ang sinasabi nila kundi pampa-pogi points lang.

[garfield22]

you're right!!!isumbong natin kay tulfo..hihihi

[FrankDTank]

Sigurado ba kayo na inakyat talaga nila Everest? What if sa isang studio lang ito ng ABS-CBN? Just next room to the TV Patrol studio. They pretend that it's a long distance videoconference by delaying their answers by a few seconds.

And if na-akyat nga nila Mt. Makiling, este Everest, what's the big deal? It's not like they went to the moon or Mars. Dami na naka-akyat Everest noh. K2 and Everest pa nga, back to back expeditions madami rin.

[garfield22]

nasa hollywood daw sila.secret lang natin ha

[garfield22]

nasa hollywood daw sila.secret lang natin ha

[rational]

I think I need to repost this for the talangka.



Those who say this is easy, have you done anything that even remotely compares to this?

So, madali umakyat ng Everest? Why not try it yourself?
Join the 180.

Exhaustion kills three on Everest

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 Posted: 1255 GMT (2055 HKT)


More than 40 mountaineers climbed Everest last week.YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

Tibet
Nepal
or Create Your Own
Manage Alerts | What Is This? BEIJING, China (AP) -- Three climbers from Brazil, Russia and France have died while descending Mount Everest on separate expeditions in the past week, a Chinese official said.

The climbers, whose names weren't released, reached the summit of Everest and died of exhaustion on the way down, said Zhang Mingxing, secretary-general of Tibet Mountaineering Association on Tuesday.

"It is easy for climbers to feel exhausted after they have spent too much energy to reach the peak. They have to face the severest test from nature and their own physical strength," he said by phone from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.

Last week, officials said 42 climbers took advantage of improved weather to reach the summit from its Nepalese side.

American, Australian, Austrian, British, Canadian, German, Korean, Philippine, Polish, Spanish and Swiss climbers, along with their Sherpa guides, reached the 29,035-foot summit, said Rajendra Pandey at Nepal's Ministry of Tourism in Katmandu.

May is considered the best month to climb Everest. Climbers in Nepal have to complete their mission by May 31 before the weather deteriorates during monsoon season.

Since Everest was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953, more than 1,400 climbers have scaled the peak, and some 180 people have died trying.

[garfield22]

great!!!!!

[majorevents]

From the 7summits.com website which curiously Mr. Abenojar emailed to and
a reply from credible posters.

1.) Please don't be taken by this 'Dale' . He was a member of the University of the Philippines Mountaineers until we had the right sense and expelled him.
He brings guns to climbs despite knowing that it is forbidden in the club
and against the law. He was never successful being a guide for he has
abandoned many of the ones he has conned.
He sought and is seeking again sponsorship for his 'summit' attempts despite not having experience climbing outside the Philippines. Included in his list for his supposed attempts are a Land Rover and about $2000 worth of climbing books. as if this will help his inexperience. Be aware of his scams.

The not so Credible Dale Abenojar

The RP mountaineering circle is abuzz right
now due to the timely and momentous participation of the Pinoys in the
conquer of the glorious but deadly Mt. Everest. And if you are in that
circle, it won't escape you to notice the enormous flow of praises, cheers,
encouragement and prayers for the risk-takers. But then, there are some who
throw the bad light to both the good and the bad eggs. Unfortunately, Dale
Abenojar is the most popular - the bad light being cast upon him for he is
perceived to be a bad egg. Dale got the bad publicity when he was thought
to deceive and fool his previous sponsor a decade or some decades ago.
Right after that, he continued to seek sponsorships, most of them
internationally.

And with 2006 (though I think it is 2007 -
please correct me, ok) as the year of Pinoy to attempt to conquer the
impossible (a lot had died trying to reach the Everest) and
not-so-impossible (it is still possible despite the odds) Everest,
seemingly, Dale joined the spotlight amongst the brave. With the light on
him, so does his bad credentials.

Below is an email I got
from the group:

---------->>>

This
was Dale's Summary of Expenses for his Everest Expedition in 1994 which
almost got approved by former President Ramos! gosh


/> MNL-LA-Seattle - $2,433
Stay in Seattle - $1,000

/> USA/Quito - $800
4 Equator Training Climbs- $1,950
flight
QUITO-USA- $800
flight Seattle- Santiago - $2,000
flight
Santiago-Punta Arenas - $500
Mt Vinzon climb - $25,000
flight
USA-Chile - $2,000
Mt. Aconcangua - $3,000
flight
Chile-Seatlle - 1,000
13 days Alpine Mountaineering Course and

/> 27 days expedition training in Seattle - $6,450
Mt Baker
Mountaineering School - $ 1,360
flight Seattle-LA-HK-Kathmandu -
$4,137
Mt Everest - $ 65,000
flight Kathmandu-HK-Manila -
$1,000
All Climbing Gear- $ 11,070
Reserve money - $10,000

/> 4 WHEEL/ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE FOR MOUNTAIN TRAVELS - $45,000


/> NET COST- $ 184,500


additional neccessary
documentation equipment:

3 sets NIKON F4S camera with 24mm
& 300 mm lenses - $ 9,900
Fuji Films 300 colored, 300 b&w,
300 slides - $ 4,500
2 portable video cams w 12 extra batteries $
4,400
100 video cassette tapes - $1,000

TOTAL COST
$203,300


I got this info from the office of the
president in 1994 and I kept the papers because I found it outrageous. I
have copies of letters from dale to guingona, guigona to ramos. letters of
bobot to Alpine Ascent. faxed letter from AAI disclaiming dale's supposedly
"BY INVITATION" slot in AAI everest expedition. at that time the
overall cost amounted to around 5million pesos.

[sPideRX]

It's disgusting that a lot of people still missed the point.

climbing everest is not just as silly as "network wars". some network-fanatic-pexers even managed to fabricate some ridiculous stories that dan brown would have loved.

pinoys should look beyond "ratings" to be able to appreciate a mean feat that a select few, determined, brave and strong-willed climbers were able to accomplish.

kudos to all who conquered the top, whomever comes first.