9 mountaineers rescued in Bataan

MARIVELES, Bataan, Philippines – A joint police-Army team rescued nine mountaineers, including two women, yesterday morning after being stranded for three days on Tarak Ridge here.

The rescuers found the mountain climbers trembling in cold in their tent near a century-old narra tree.

In a text message to The STAR, Senior Superintendent Audie Atienza, provincial police director, identified those rescued as King Andrew Oliva, Michael Reyes, Vincent Lopez, Kevin Desederio, Jerry Sumala, Bernard Bautista, Lester Comana, Mary Joy Coaguin, and Aleli Etaran.

Atienza said one of them had injuries but did not identify who among the mountaineers.

Superintendent Melecio Buslig Jr., Mariveles police chief, said the mountaineers scaled Tarak Ridge, with an elevation of more than 1,200 meters, last Saturday morning, despite gusty winds and heavy downpour spawned by approaching Typhoon Labuyo.

Buslig said they received a distress call at 7:05 a.m. Monday and promptly formed rescue teams.

Bataan Gov. Albert Raymond Garcia yesterday lauded the rescue teams and municipal and barangay officials for the successful effort to save the nine mountaineers.

He advised mountain trekkers though to be extra careful by closely monitoring weather reports to prevent any untoward incidents in the future. 

Garcia recalled that bad weather also trapped 14 mountaineers, said to be students of the Mapua Institute of Technology, on Tarak Ridge in October 2012 but police and barangay teams subsequently rescued them.– With Ric Sapnu