The mountaineering group that I belong did a lot of adventures, trips and climbs. Some were in abroad but mostly were within our beloved country. This group gave me a chance to see a lot of places, unforgettable and unique experiences.
Another type of adventure that the group involved with are doing outreach activity mostly to remote places. The group does it regularly, at least twice a year for the past recent years, which gives us a chance to give back something to community.
One of the outreach activity that I got a chance to join was the event held last June 30 – July 1 2012. The group selected a school in a remote community which located in the middle of vast farmlands in Tarlac. The event held in Sitio San Pedro Elementary School, Barangay Iba in San Jose, Tarlac.
I knew it’s been a long time when it happened, it was more than 4 years had passed but I still remember a bit something about it.
In every travel that I did with the mountaineering group I belong to, I usually join them. I never really got involved in planning. Honestly when roaming around my own country, I was not really good at it. The planning of itineraries are far more difficult compared to other countries. The planning does not only involve a research, it involved communication to people, groups or even individuals. It requires network and connections to different people.
We traveled to the designated place of outreach. From Metro Manila, we took NLEX (North Luzon Expressway), followed by SCTEX (Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway). Then we exit at Luisita Access Road.
One of the thing that I cannot forget in this event was when we were on our way to Barangay Iba. We traveled a bit in a rough road and we took some rough roads in the middle of the farm (not a typical or common concrete road). For me it was an experience because I never really been inside the vehicle in middle of the farm. Yes, I saw farms or rice fields almost all around me, but never really drove in the middle of it. After a while, we reached a small community, the Abeling Tribe one of the indigenous community in my country where the school located which we planned to visit. I was surprised because I never thought that there was such community in the middle of rice fields. Most of the time, communities are near in main roads or local roads.
Outreach Event Photos (Photos are not mine, photos courtesy of SMB Mountaineering Group)
Every time the group does its outreach activity, the group usually prepares before the big day. The group does ocular to see the school and the people whom we will collaborate the event. Next, we solicit to friends, colleagues and some corporations for some voluntary funds which within the network of all members of the mountaineering group. Then, all the funds we received were audited as the mountaineering group is non-profit group. Everything is transparent to all members specially when we do this kind of activity. Finally, the group prepares activities for the outreach. In the planning, it involves creation of games and entertainments for children. It will follow by providing food and giving school supplies. We also provided equipment that the school basically needs such as speakers or generators.
Outreach Event Photos (Photos are not mine, photos courtesy of SMB Mountaineering Group)
With these experiences with children that lives in provinces specially in remote places and all of them usually lives in poverty, during outreach, it feels something special part in my life. Sometimes I am thinking if there’s still better way to help them aside from what we were already doing. Then, somehow there’s sadness that I felt too because children in the city lives comfortably while the children we visited lives in frugality. But, I knew as well that’s the reality of life of communities that outside the major cities in my country. And the outreach activities that we did may not really address the problem but at least it alleviates some of the gaps that the government should be doing.
Outreach Event Photos (Photos are not mine, photos courtesy of SMB Mountaineering Group)
The next day, the group did a side trip activity which climbing the mountain just beside the community that we visited. The mountain we climbed was Mount Tangisan with an altitude of around 490 masl (meters above sea level).
Climb Event Photos (Photos are not mine, photos courtesy of SMB Mountaineering Group)
What I like about this mountain? First thing was its trail (not too difficult), next was its altitude (just enough to see views from the ground), third was its location (located in open space) and finally the scenery at the top or the summit surrounded by farmlands.
Climb Event Photos (Photos are not mine, photos courtesy of SMB Mountaineering Group)
I really enjoyed the activities that includes both of outreach and nature adventure, I felt both alive. It is one of the contentment that I treasure in my life.
Photos that I captured while at the summit of Mount Tangisan
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