Mount Guiting-Guiting

Mount Guiting-Guiting is a mountain located in the heart of Sibuyan Island, one of the seven islands of Romblon Province in the Philippines. Guiting-Guiting, in the local dialect, means "jagged". Though the length and duration of the climb is relatively shorter, 2 days to climb up and 1 day to descend, this mountain is still acknowledged as the most difficult and technically challenging Philippine mountain to climb, alongside Mount Halcon in Mindoro and Mount Mantalingajan in Palawan.^[1]

In May 1982, under the leadership of Arturo T. Valdez, a joint team from the Bacolod-based Philippine Mountaineering Society (PMS) and the University of the Philippines (UP), the team assaulted the mountain, the attempt of which was to be the first in history.^[2]

It was during this expedition that one of the peaks, now known as "Mayo's Peak" was named after one of the team members, Mayo Monteza, who celebrated his birthday during the climb, while one of the water spring sources now known as "Bulod's Spring" was named after one of the local guides, Bulod, who volunteered (along with another locals) to join the climb.^[3]

The team failed to take the summit on this first attempt, but came back two weeks afterwards. In the first week of June 1982, four climbers became the first to stand at the summit. Their names are Mon Ruiz, Kim Valino, Bubot Tan Torre (the UP mountaineers) and Edwin Gatia of the PMS team.^[3]

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