ONE HUNDRED fifty mountaineers from all over the country are expected to participate in the upcoming Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc. (MFPI) Mindanao Summit at the Sta. Cruz Trail to Mt. Apo on Feb 19.
Participants will take a basic mountaineering course at the Bagobo Cultural Village in Tibolo on Feb 18 before the climb, which will be followed by a tree planting activity at the foothills on the next day.
Julius Paner, tourism officer of the municipality of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, highlighted that Mt. Apo has the potential to become a geopark by UNESCO.
The Philippines currently has one UNESCO Global Geopark located on the island of Bohol.
Paner hopes that the mountain will be added to the list as the second-highest in the country.
“Earlier this year, we completed all the document checklists that were required of us by UNESCO, and we will be forwarding those documents to them and waiting for the other steps,” he said during the PEP Talks on Friday, Jan 16.
He added that the summit cannot accommodate more than 150 since Mt. Apo is a protected area, and mountaineers will be divided into two batches (75 for the first batch and second batch).
