Mt. Apo best place to see first millennium sunrise

DAVAO CITY (PNA) - While Pusan Point in Barangay

Santiago, Caraga, Davao Oriental is the best place to see

the first rays of the sun in the new millennium, Mt. Apo in

North Cotabato beats it by two minutes.

Tourism Secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta said a clarification was

made by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and

Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) that Mt. Apo will

observe the sunrise at 5:43 a.m. while Pusan Point will have its

sunrise at 5:45 a.m. on January 1, 2000.

A report quoted North Cotabato Governor Manny Piqol as saying

that the first sunrise of the new millennium can be seen at the top

of Mt. Apo.

PAGASA said that the Governor is right, technically, but what is

important is that the sunrise should be appreciated by majority of

the people.

Actually, Pagasa said, the first sunset of the new millennium will

hit the country in the southeast corner of the International Treaty

Limits of the Philippines which is near Dompooells Island, which is

out in open sea, Araneta said.

But who will go there (Dompoells Island). Nobody, strictly

speaking, Mt. Apo is the second and Pusan Point is the third but

in order to appreciate the beauty of the rising sun, the place

should be accessible to the majority of the people, Araneta

added.

Because of PAGASAs clarification, the Kidapawan Tourism

Council is still intent on promoting the peak of Mt. Apo as the best

observation point for the millennium sunrise.

Towering large in local mountaineering lore, 3,144 meters, Mt. Apo

is the Philippines tallest and extends from Cotabato Davao del Sur

and Davao City to Agusan and Misamis Oriental in Northern

Mindanao.

It dominates a vast area of 72,769 hectares of natural wonders.

Home to the monkey-eating eagle, its slope is also home to

waling waling, adjudged one of the rarest and most beautiful of

orchids in the world.

Jumping off points to Mount Apo are Kidapawan, the capital of

North Cotabato, or alternatively Digos, the capital of Davao del Sur.

The ascent alone is reward enough. Along the way to the summit

of Mt. Apo one comes across the Marbel Falls and Hot Springs,

and midway to the top is Aboo Blue Lake.

Nearer the summit, one finds Lake Venado, Sulphur Springs, thick

forest cover and perhaps a glimpse of the monkey-eating eagle

which can make climbing Mt. Apo an unforgettable experience.

In these towns of the foothills of the great mountain, teams of

mountaineers often stay for the night before the assault on the

peak.

The KidapawanTourism Council is bent on promoting Mt. Apo as

the best observation point for the millennium sunrise.

A survey has been made by the Council that a thousand

mountaineers would prefer to be in Mount Apo.

Earlier, Piqol led the ceremonial sendoff of the Second Mt. Apo

Ecotourism Challenge at the Bongalonon Magpet trail, where the

environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts went up Mt. Apo.

The event was both a major tourism and sports actvity with the

signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) among the four

local units bordering the national park and the DENR.

The MOU outlines the protection and preservation of Mt. Apo

National Park to ensure its proper management.

Along the trail, Smart Communications set up call centers for the

participants. Through these facilities, Piqol was able to

communicate with DENR Secretary Antonio Cerilles upon reaching

the peak.

About 4,500 participants turned up including volunteers and

climbers who were dispatched in three batches of four days each,

meaning Mt. Apo will host at least 1,500 individuals at a given

time.

They said this number maintained the carrying capacity of the

mountain range.

Meanwhile, people in Northern Luzon will watch the first sunrise at

Mt. Pulag in Kabayan, Benguet.

Mt. Pulag, dubbed as the Roof of Luzon is 76 feet lower than Mt.

Apo.

The DOT in Northern Luzon have scheduled a millennium climb to

Mt. Pulag on December 31, 1999.

They believe that in promoting the millennium climb, they are also

boosting the tourist arrivals in the Cordillera.

The climb would also be a rallying point in preserving the

11,500-hectare Mt. Pulag which has been declared a national park

since 1987. (PNA)

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