Oracion, Emata ready to assault Mt. Everest

First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition team top climber Leo Oracion is back at Camp 3 yesterday and is just awaiting for his Sherpa guides to finish affixing the lines from Camp 4 to the summit before making his final ascent to the world’s highest peak.

FPMEE team leader Art Valdez said the weather has been cooperative thus far and Pastor Emata, the other member of the FPMEE squad, is now at Camp 2.

"The weather’s been good in the past days and we’re praying that it continues to be so that Leo (Oracion) and Pastor (Emata) can summit and descend safely," said Valdez.

Meanwhile, climber Romy Garduce left Base Camp along with his three Sherpa guides also Monday to make his own bid for Mt. Everest’s peak. 

From Camp 3, Oracion will proceed to Camp 4 (7,906 meters or 26,032 feet), the point of no return for Everest ascents, and eventually, to the summit of the world’s highest peak, according to Valdez.

He expressed confidence that Oracion and Emata will make it to the summit if the good weather continues.

Meantime, Valdez said that the First Philippine Mt. Everest Team’s physician, Dr. Ted Esguerra, also of the Philippine Coast Guard, remains the most popular figure in the mountain as he treated free-of-charge climbers from the Singaporean and Malaysian expedition teams who developed respiratory problems.

The clinic in Base Camp charges as much as $75 for check-ups and treatments. Dr. Esguerra and the FPMEE members have earned so much goodwill on the mountain as members from the other expedition squads have expressed their support and gratitude by lending them equipment, such as oxygen tanks.

According to Valdez, it will only be a matter of days, given good weather, before the FPMEE’s top climbers, whose campaign is backed by the Philippine Airlines, Globe Roaming Services, Summit Mineral Water, Stratworks, ABS-CBN, Coleman, Kodak, PAMI, MedCentral, Fitness First, Power Up, Rudy Project, Mozcom and the National Sports Grill, finish this record-setting climb and bring pride and honor to the country.