Warrior Pilgrimage

Featured in www.pinoyapache.blogspot.com on January 10, 2009

MY OPPORTUNITY CAME on April of 1994. I've prepared more than a year for this physically, mentally, emotionally, technically, materially and financially. The chance of climbing the country's highest apex, Mount Apo, who stood at 10,328 feet above sea level, have been on the forefront of my attention and, at the same time, at the back of my mind. It came at a better time then – Holy Week! Although, back then, I was just a Christian (a Roman Catholic) in name only and was never inclined to observe religious traditions and rituals and was more concerned with other trivial pursuits.

As I've said it before, my chance did came about. Members of the Cebu Mountaineering Society or CeMS composing of Dr. Abe Manlawe, Sir Joe Avellanosa(+), Daddy Frank Cabigon, Tony Cabigon, Atty. Al Jovellar, Claribel Abrahan, Bebut Estillore, Patrick Young, Ben Lao, Ann Vidal, Louie Tecson, Sir Rex Vecina, Lilibeth Initan, Rosebelle Daculan, Yvette Lasala and me, left on a Holy Wednesday evening, March 30, from Cebu Harbor to Cagayan de Oro City by boat.

Arriving on the morning after, Holy Thursday, of March 31 we took a bus for Kidapawan, North Cotabato by way of the Bukidnon-Davao highway. We arrived at near dusk at Kidapawan and Dr. Manlawe's brother, Lito, who worked as an engineer of the National Power Corporation (NPC), welcomed us at his house as guests where we ate dinner and slept.

On the early morning of April 1, Good Friday, we left Kidapawan for the trailhead at Agco and Engr. Manlawe drove us himself with his vehicle, of which all sixteen of us were crammed in whatever space and nook we could find. At 10:00 AM, we arrived at Agco and from there we took the upward trail for Mt. Apo.

About an hour-and-a-half later I reached the hot springs area along the trail and I saw plenty of people there...READ MORE (Press CTRL + mouse click)