Amidst all the hype and media frenzy surrounding the imminent shooting of Bourne Legacy in the Philippines, there’s that guy who’s quietly scaling up a 16,067-foot mountain in Antartica against a harsh -26 degree Celsius weather in the name of Philippine glory.
Romi Garduce, a Pinoy mountaineer and adventurer who set out to climb Antartica’s highest peak,Vinson Massif last December 29, officially completed his “Seven Summits” quest when he set foot on its peak on January 6, 5:45 am, MNL time, together with fellow mountaineer Levi Nayahangan.
The quest began almost a decade ago when Romi first conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, followed by Argentina’s Aconcagua, Nepal’s Mt. Everest., Mt Elbrus in Russia, Mt. McKinley in North America, Australia’s Mr. Kosciuszkoa and Indonesia’s Mt. Carstensz Pyramid.
He is so far, the first and only Filipino mountain climber to have conquered the highest mountains of all seven continents.
I remember being superbly impressed by this guy’s dedication as he says on TV, “‘Yung puso ko at kaluluwa ko, andun na. Katawan na lang ang kulang.”
I hope that we all take a break from our preoccupations to give props to the guy and his team’s courage and unparalleled commitment to bringing pride and honor to the country.
Congratulations, Romi Garduce, for a historic and glorious feat. You have made the incredibly Philippines proud, and me, even prouder to be Pinoy.
