GMA to climb Pinatubo today

Up Mt. Pinatubo she will go in the name of promoting tourism.

President Arroyo and her party are set to leave Malacañang at 4 a.m. today for the first leg of their trek to the dormant volcano which erupted in a massive explosion in 1991.

They are expected to arrive at the Department of Tourism’s information center in Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac at around 6:30 a.m.

Upon arriving at Sta. Juliana, Mrs. Arroyo will be briefed on how to make the three-hour drive to Sitio Dapili on board a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.

From Sitio Dapili, Mrs. Arroyo and her party will continue their trek on foot to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo, passing through mountain trails, Crow Valley, lahar areas and rivers.

At noon, Mrs. Arroyo and her party are expected to reach the crater where she will attend a Mass for world peace to be celebrated by a Catholic priest in her party.

After the Mass, Mrs. Arroyo will swear in members of the Presidential Photo-Journalists Association of the Philippines and give a salu-salo for members of her party.

After lunch, they will head back to Sta. Juliana and Mrs. Arroyo is expected to arrive at the tourism department’s information center at 5 p.m.

Mrs. Arroyo will be presented a "Certificate of Conquest" at the site.

Last April Mrs. Arroyo spearheaded a safari at the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary in Palawan.

Last month, she went rafting in Cagayan de Oro City and scuba diving in Tubbataba Reef in the Sulu Sea. – Paolo Romero