Vice President Sara Duterte issued a friendly challenge to Senator Bato dela Rosa; that is to go on a hike on Mt. Apo, the country’s tallest peak, and participate in its cleanup.

Vice President Sara Duterte at the peak of Mt. Apo (Photo from Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)

The country’s second top official issued this challenge in a Facebook post on Saturday, Oct. 21, as she shared a talk she had with the senator about wanting to hike Mt. Apo.

“Kamakailan, napag-usapan namin ni Senator Bato Dela Rosa na akyatin ang Mt. Apo ngayong darating na holiday sa undas, pero dahil sa nagbago ko na schedule, nasabi ko na sa Luzon nalang kami mag-tandem hike sa susunod na walang pasok (Recently, Senator Bato Dela Rosa and I talked about hiking Mt. Apo this coming holiday but because my schedule suddenly changed, I told him that we should just tandem-hike in Luzon next time there’s no work),” Duterte wrote.

“Hinahamon ko si Sen. Bato na sumali sa ‘Love Mt. Apo’ hike at mag-ambag din sa paglinis ng mga trails. Excited kami sa iyong Mt. Apo vlog, Sen. Bato (I am challenging Sen. Bato to join the ‘Love Mt. Apo‘ hike and contribute in the cleanup of the trails. We’re excited for your Mt. Apo vlog, Sen. Bato)!,” she added.

Duterte, who is also the Education secretary in a concurrent capacity, herself has already hiked Mt. Apo four times, the latest being this May 2023.

She shared about her experiences since a lot have been asking if she was able to climb Mt. Apo already after sharing her Osmeña Peak and Lugsungan Peak hikes.

Duterte remembered how challenging her last hike was because she had cough and had to stop frequently along the way to rest.

They started their hike at 5 a.m. and only reached the peak at 7 p.m. in the evening.

“Lalo itong naging mahirap dahil sa kakulangan ng ilaw sa gabi at sa lamig na halos katulad na ng temperatura tuwing winter (This became even more challenging because of the lack of light at night and the cold that’s already comparable to winter),” she said.

“Nakakalungkot dahil nakapulot din ako ng maraming non-biodegradable wastes sa daanan (It is saddening that I also picked up a lot of non-biodegradable wastes along the way),” the official added.

She then gave a piece of advice to those who want to hike: first, to ready bodies by doing stretching and brisk walking and second, not to leave trash behind, especially plastic.