Montalban
is considered the birthplace of Rock Climbing in the
Philippines. It started in the late 1970s and the
sport become very popular in the late 1990s. Montalban
was renamed Rodriguez but people prefer to call the place
with its old name.
Montalban is located within the
vicinity of Wawa Dam. The river flows from Sierra
Madre Mountains passing by an abandoned spillway (Wawa Dam)
through a white marble gorge unto a picnic site where huge
acacia trees and man made huts provide shelter and
shade. It is the playground for Rock climbers in
the cool season of November to February and the dry season
of March to May.
The people of Wawa managed to save
the place from quarrying and found business in
eco-tourism. With the help of Mountaineers and
picnicers, the people of Wawa maintained the place.
There are many popular routes in Montalban, from beginner to
advanced. Majority of these route were established by UP
Mountaineer and Philippine Rock Climbing poioneer Roel Tan
Torres (Bobot). Together with the climbers of Power
UP, they maintained the Locals' awareness of the sport and
how it can help them in their livelihood. The
mountaineers also help educate the people of Wawa to protect
their natural resources eventually both sides will benefit
from this process.
In 1993 when Rock Climbing wasn't
as popular as it was now, UP Mountaineers invited the
Mountaineering Clubs of Metro Manila to try their Artificial
Climbing Wall built directly on the University's Library
Building. I went there and found out that I was the
only mountaineer other than the UP Mountaineers who accepted
the club's invitation. I watched with envy while the
UP Mountaineers tried their newly constructed artificial
climbing wall. Eventually, Bobot noticed me and
invited me to try the wall for myself. The rest was
history. I got hooked in rock climbing, went to UP
every weekend, sometimes squeezing a few hours on weekdays
and eventually I went to Montalban for real rock
climbing. In 1994 I started teaching rappelling and
Basic Rock Climbing to different clubs like the Toyota
Mountaineers, DOT (Department of Tourism) Ascent, PNB
Mountaineers & Philip's Las Piņas Mountaineers. I
even quit my regular job and teaching the sport was my bread
and butter for six months. I went back to my real
passion which is Art after six months, but I'll never forget
how much addicted I was into Rock Climbing. I still
climb in every chance I get, mostly in Indoor climbing walls
but the blood that flows in my veins is still the blood of a
pure rock climber.
To
get to Montalban, you will ride a jeepney from Cubao and
when the jeepney reach the end of its route, you will ride
another jeepney to Wawa. The trip takes around 45
minutes from Cubao to Montalban and 20 minutes from
Montalban to Wawa via a very rough road. Those
planning to take their own vehicle should make sure that
their vehicles have high suspensions because the road from
Montalban to Wawa is virtually impassable to ordinary cars.
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Posing at Veranda
Interview with Mornings@GMA
Photo shoot at Picnic 5.10b (photo by Jun Osano)
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