Marie Lozano, mabdos

President Arroyo expressed admiration for the three Filipino women who made history on Wednesday by being the first female climbers from Southeast Asia to reach the peak of Mt. Everest.

In a statement, Mrs. Arroyo said the Filipino people are “awed by their sense of adventure, physical strength and endurance.”

The feat of Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon and Janet Belarmino, she said, honored not only the country but the entire region as well.

“The summit of Mount Everest proved to be a smooth conquest by three brave Filipino women who honored not only the Philippines but also the ASEAN community with their inspiring achievement. Noelle, Carina and Janet are now at par with the toughest mountain climbers of the world,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

 “This only shows that women are equal, or sometimes better than, men,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

He noted the three mountain climbers were from the Philippine Coast Guard and “were proven to be physically fit.”

Wenceslao became the first Filipina to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in Nepal and also the first woman from Southeast Asia to reach the peak, measured at 29,035 feet above sea level.

She reached it at 6:10 a.m. Nepal time (8:10 a.m. in Manila).

Dayondon arrived 10 minutes later while former varsity tennis player Belarmino, who got caught in a big traffic jam of more than 150 mountain climbers, arrived at 9 a.m.

Last year, three Filipinos —Leo Oracion, Pastor Emata and Romeo Garduce —became the first Filipinos to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, earning the same accolade from the President who honored them in Malacañang.   – Paolo Romero