Mount Guiting-Guiting
Encyclopedia
Mount Guiting-Guiting is a mountain located in the heart of Sibuyan Island
, one of the seven islands of Romblon Province
in the Philippines
. Guiting-Guiting, in the local dialect, means "jagged". Though the length and duration of the climb is relatively shorter, 2 days to climb up and 1 day to descend, this mountain is still acknowledged as the most difficult and technically challenging Philippine mountain to climb, alongside Mount Halcon
in Mindoro
and Mount Mantalingajan in Palawan
.
In May 1982, under the leadership of Arturo T. Valdez, a joint team from the Bacolod
-based Philippine Mountaineering Society (PMS) and the University of the Philippines
(UP), the team assaulted the mountain, the attempt of which was to be the first in history.
It was during this expedition that one of the peaks, now known as "Mayo's Peak" was named after one of the team members, Mayo Monteza, who celebrated his birthday during the climb, while one of the water spring sources now known as "Bulod's Spring" was named after one of the local guides, Bulod, who volunteered (along with another locals) to join the climb.
The team failed to take the summit on this first attempt, but came back two weeks afterwards. In the first week of June 1982, four climbers became the first to stand at the summit. Their names are Mon Ruiz, Kim Valino, Bubot Tan Torre (the UP mountaineers) and Edwin Gatia of the PMS team.
Sibuyan Island
Sibuyan is a crescent-shaped island of Romblon Province, Philippines. It has an area of 445 km². The island has two prominent peaks, Mount Guiting-Guiting with a height of 2,058 m and Mount Nailog with a height of 789 m...
, one of the seven islands of Romblon Province
Romblon
Romblon is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. It lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate. Its capital is also named Romblon....
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Guiting-Guiting, in the local dialect, means "jagged". Though the length and duration of the climb is relatively shorter, 2 days to climb up and 1 day to descend, this mountain is still acknowledged as the most difficult and technically challenging Philippine mountain to climb, alongside Mount Halcon
Mount Halcon
Mount Halcon is a mountain located in the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. Its height of 2,586 meters makes it the 18th highest peak in the Philippines. Its slopes has earned it the title to be the most difficult mountain to climb in the country.Mt. Halcon is home to the indigenous Alangan...
in Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
and Mount Mantalingajan in Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
.
In May 1982, under the leadership of Arturo T. Valdez, a joint team from the Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
-based Philippine Mountaineering Society (PMS) and the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
(UP), the team assaulted the mountain, the attempt of which was to be the first in history.
It was during this expedition that one of the peaks, now known as "Mayo's Peak" was named after one of the team members, Mayo Monteza, who celebrated his birthday during the climb, while one of the water spring sources now known as "Bulod's Spring" was named after one of the local guides, Bulod, who volunteered (along with another locals) to join the climb.
The team failed to take the summit on this first attempt, but came back two weeks afterwards. In the first week of June 1982, four climbers became the first to stand at the summit. Their names are Mon Ruiz, Kim Valino, Bubot Tan Torre (the UP mountaineers) and Edwin Gatia of the PMS team.