3 girls, 3 stories, 1 message: Kaya ng Pinay!
When Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon and Janet Belarmino became the first Southeast Asian women to
The country was rejoicing, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sent a congratulatory message, and the Philippine Coastguard prepared a heroes welcome for the three summiteers who had just been promoted from seawoman first to seawoman third class.
In an article published on the Kathmandu Post titled Mom of five-month-old atop Everest, Janet was quoted as saying, ”I decided to leave him, as I was too focused on the mountain. I believed there was a greater cause behind my decision.”
Noelle, on the other hand, brought her loved one with her to the summit, a picture of her mother. Her mom passed away last year due to a stroke. She was on her way to the airport to pick up Noelle when she had the attack. Noelle had just arrived after successfully climbing
Carina is one of 14 siblings who grew up in Bukidnon. Her family didn’t want her to join the Everest team because of the obvious danger. They also relied on her as the family breadwinner. But Carina was determined to sacrifice to achieve a greater goal.
The Dayondon family apparently had nothing to worry about. According to ABS-CBN correspondent Vince Rodriguez who chronicled the journey on pinaysoneverest.blogspot.com, Carina was even singing on the summit!
According to the blog, two hours before reaching the summit, the team radioed Advance Base Camp to give an update on their location. During the call, Carina sang in the radio an excerpt from the song Kaya ng Pinay, composed by team doctor Ted Esguerra.
On hearing her singing, Everest Summiter Pastor Emata, who was at ABC, radioed back, “Carina, I bet you’re singing because you’re scared.”
Carina’s response was, “Excuse me!” But things are different back home. Their families may support their goals and trust they know what they’re doing — but they can’t completely take away their loved ones’ apprehension, the fear that something bad may happen.
Ricky Serdenia, husband of Janet Belarmino-Serdenia, couldn’t hold back his tears when he heard the news his wife had reached the summit. You’d think that Ricky, being a member of the Philippine Dragonboat Federation, would be cool under pressure.
He admits though, it’s not easy when you’re the one left behind.
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This May, more than 300 people are estimated to have reached the summit of
So what makes the Pinays’ achievement so special? They could have swum across the Pacific, they could have aimed to reach the North Pole — it wasn’t about the summit of Everest per se. The mountain is simply an allegory, a very tough one at that, for achieving what people think is impossible. That if we set our minds to it and unite in a common cause, we can climb whatever heights and reach whatever distance we imagine.
Like Leo Oracion, Pastor Emata and Romy Garduce before them, the women have again made the country proud. The message is loud and clear, yes, the Filipina can, Kaya ng Pinay! And they didn’t just do it for themselves, but for all the Filipinas around the world struggling to conquer their own mountains.
And even if
Not even all the money in the world can match the legacy
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