LATEST UPDATE (7/05/09 2115H) Another source from Baco, Oriental Mindoro just texted us. When asked if Halcon will reopen very soon, he said: "Posible kc matatapos na ung 2yrs ban f d me nagkakamali."
An anonymous message addressed to PinoyMountaineer.com supported a rumor that has been flying for the past few months: Halcon is being opened this year. Initially I refused to give credence to this, since I have received official word from the Municipaity of Baco and the DENR-PENRO of Oriental Mindoro that Mt. Halcon remains closed until at least 2011. However, I decided to investigate when at least one major mountaineering group in Manila has begun to include Halcon in this climb schedule this year. It means that they must really be confident that Halcon will be opened.
The email reads:
"Ser, just informing you that Halcon will be opened in a matter of months. Nagpunta ako sa Baco [jumpoff of Halcon] last week and the officials there were saying na matagal na daw nilang gustong ipabukas, source of income daw din kasi ang mga mountaineers na umaakyat. Wla naman daw problema sa DENR [yung reopening], and although may municipal ordinance that limits climbing from March hanggang May, madali lang daw malusutan yun. Ang balita, mas mahal ang fees na sisingilin nila when Halcon opens. Parang comparable sa mga binabayad sa Mt. Apo ngayon. Maybe that's the bad news, pero at least ang good news is we can climb Halcon again. Will update you ser once I have new infos about this. Tnx and more power to your site!"
The status of Halcon is muddled in mystery. In the first place, why was it closed? The alleged reason is because the mountain has become so dirty. But this is a lame excuse because not too many people actually climb Halcon and the municipality even used to organize annual Halcon climbs. Another oft-cited reason is a quarrel between two local mountaineering clubs and between mountaineers and the local Mangyans. That is why the Mangyans are said to be reluctant to agree, and they have certain rights to the mountain since it's their "ancestral domain".
Last year a 'certain mountaineering group' climbed Halcon and it is claimed that massive logging operations are going on in the mountain. Just today, my contact near the jumpoff responded to my inquiries for an update. He said that "there are many soldiers scattered in the mountain right now and there's a road being constructed from Tiboy to Halcon." Indeed, these are pieces of a puzzle that ought to be put together. As a stakeholder in Halcon, the mountaineering community deserves to know the real status of the mountain and the municipality should give a definite date when they will finally reopen this mountain.
If you have news about Halcon, let us know so we can refute or confirm these rumors. Personally, I don't believe that Halcon will reopen anytime soon. But I appreciate the inputs we've been getting and I hope to hear your thoughts and infos on this matter.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Mt. Halcon to reopen very soon?
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18 comments:
Hi!
My wife's officemates are planning to climb Monte de Halcón within this month or next month. I even want to join them. They obviously don't have any idea that this mountain is "closed." I was surprised myself. I didn't know that it's closed (until 2011?).
And the mystery behind its closure certainly intrigues and alarms me at the same time. My wife is a Mindoreña who has an uncle who's an ex-NPA member. Monte de Halcón (not excluding the whole island of Mindoro) has many NPA rebels. And that's perhaps one reason why the infamous retired general Jovito Palparán was stationed in Mindoro Oriental.
Perhaps the purging of the NPA cadre in Monte de Halcón is still ongoing? Or indeed rampant illegal logging is happening? Or both.
But illegal logging is highly possible. And that is perhaps twice as alarming than the threat of a military-NPA conflict. And if it is true that illegal logging is the reason why it is closed, of course DENR is to blame.
Is there a cover up? Please inform this website. Naturally, we should leave the NPA issue to the military. But all of us mountaineers must unite against the evils of illegal logging...
And by the way, if the local government claims that the logging operations that are going on in Monte de Halcón, then why was it described as "massive"? Just because logging there was legalized, it doesn't mean shaving the whole mountain off of its trees. Tsk.
hola pepe! leo a veces su blog pero mi espanol es muy rudimentario, perdones!. creo que halcón se ha cerrado desde 2006.. me quieren subir halcón y espero que pronto se abrirá.
what's going on in halcon???
I am afraid that some illegal logging may be going on.
FYI...when I visited Sohoton Caves National Park in Samar earlier this year, one of the most knowlegeable guys there told us that the logging company of a senator with close ties to the military used to log the area.
Logging + military ties + patriach of a very powerful rich family = DANGEROUS for the environment
Sometimes you wonder whether "presence of NPA" is just a pretext or cover for illegal logging activities.
kalat naman po sa samar na si enrile and company ang kumalbo sa samar forests. magaling na senator!
Hay naku...pakiramdam ko mas maayos p ung halcon dati nung HALMS p humahawak, kahit n sabihin ntin n medyo nagkaron ng mga sablay, at least, nagkakaron p rin ng way para maakyat ang bundok.after the death of Prana, biglang nagkahigpitan, hanggang sa isara n nila. I remember my last climb sa halcon nung 2005, sobrang higpit nila, dami kukuhanan ng permit, dadaan p sa barracks, tapos sa police hq, n take note..dapat my medical cert p kuno. d nmn nila chineck.higpit higpitan daw. sa totoo lng naawa rin ako sa mga mangyan n nawalan ng sideline. sana maopen n yung halcon ulit. wala nmn mabigat n reason para isara un eh.
Un mga gus2 umakyat ng halcon paguide na lng kayo sa sialdang mountaineers,, alam nila ang traverse trail ng halcon..
any contacts? akala ko sarado pa?
--burog--
is mt. halcon open to climb now???????
any open climb at mt. Guiting, this February-March or this summer?....
sir pa upadte nmn po ng status ng mt. halcon sa province nmin...
na aaya po ksi ung team nmin 2 that mountain eh.
tnx and godbless...
January 2010: A Sagip-Kapamilya volunteer/mountainneer went to Mindoro and reported that at least ten(10) Mangyan people drowned and perished (due perhaps to mining/quarrying) - kaya pala sarado ang Halcon for 2 years para meron pang time for the the plants' undergrowth to cover their tracks... tsk, tsk, tsk...
MANUOD NA LANG KAYO SA YOUTUBE MT. HALCON BAWAL UMAKYAT NANDON LAHAT ANG LATEST NA AKYAT NG TATLONG ITLOG.
Magandang Araw po sa lahat.
CLARIFICATION lang po.
Yun pong nangyaring climb last summer sa Halcon (or Sialdang) ay hindi po initiated ng mga mountaineers na involve sa nasabing climb.
Ito po ay conducted and sanctioned by the Municipilaty of Baco together with Sangguniang Brgy of Lantuyang and the Samahan ng mga Alangang Mangyan sa Baco (SAABA).
Bago po nito ay nagkaroon ng pagpupulong na inanyayahan nga pong imbitahan ng mga nasabi ang Sialdang Mountaineering Club, para mapagusapan kung kailangan na nga bang buksan sa 2011 ang bundok at kung anong mga hakbangin ang dapat gawin.
Kasunod po nito ay napagkasunduang gumawa ng isang inspection and assessment climb, nang sa gayon ay malaman ang tunay na kalagayan ng bundok.
Sa pagpupulong din pong ito ay napagkasunduang imbitahan ang iba pang mountaineer na nakasama nga sa nasabing akyat.
Makatapos po nito ay nagkaroon ng panibagong pagpupulong kung saan dinaluhan ng LGU ng Baco, SB ng Lantuyang, SAABA, DENR, PGENRO, Prov'l Tourism at Sialdang Mountaineering Club, na ginanap pa rin sa Bulwagan ng Brgy Lantuyang.
Kasunod po nito ay magkakaroon ng isang pormal na joint session ang LGU ng Baco at SB ng Lantuyang kasama pa rin ang mga nabanggit kanina, ito po ay gaganapin sa Session Hall ng Baco ngayong darating na mga araw.
Umaasa po kayo na gagawin namin ang lahat upang maupdate kayo at para di magkaroon ng mga maling pagkakaintindi sa mga nangyayari.
Ibibigay ko po ang mga links na kung saan ay makakapagupdate kayo, hihingin ko lang po muna ang pahintulot ng mga kasamahan na nagaasikaso dito sa Mindoro.
Maraming Salamat po!
-Hans of SMC from Mindoro
Hi Pinoy Mountaineers! I'm a big follower of your site. It's very informative, especially your ITs which are really reliable. So, any news on when Mt. Halcon would re-open?
sarado pa po galing po ako sa Jump off last April 21,2012! REOPEN it to give some initiative to the Mangyan TRIBE! GAPANG EH MOUNTAINEERING CLUB -BATANGAS-
open na po ba Halcon next year? pa-update nman po....plano po kc akyatin ng grupo nmin by Holyweek next year...thanks and wait ko po reply..
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