Dale Abenojar to pay courtesy call on GMA

Dale Abenojar, the 43-year-old adventure sportsman who claims to be the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, said he is intent on paying a courtesy call to President Arroyo to tell her the story of his bitter quest to conquer the world’s tallest mountain with the help of his Nepalese sherpas.

"We are now in the process of writing a letter to Malacañang to request for audience with the President. Hopefully, she will have time for us," Abenojar told The STAR.

He said he and his close supporters have realized lately that they failed to pay a courtesy call to Malacañang when they arrived home from Nepal last June 11.

"Personally, I thought that you have to be invited by Malacañang to be allowed to make a courtesy call, so we are waiting for an invitation. But now that we have been told that we have to make an official request, we are now in the process of making that request," he said.

He added that he intends to bring with him to the Palace his two Nepalese sherpas, who helped him fulfill his life-long dream of being the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

The sherpas also saved his life several times.

"They were my heroes. I’m not a hero. They were the heroes. That’s why I will not have any misgivings even if I’m not given recognition as the first Filipino to climb the top of Mt. Everest, or even as just one of the first, for as long as Pasang and Tshiring are recognized as the saviors of a Filipino in Mt. Everest," Abenojar said.

When he came home to Manila last June 11, Abenojar brought with him his Nepalese sherpas Pasang Dorchi Sherpa and Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa. Pasang had all of his toes amputated due to severe gangrene infection caused by frostbite. Abenojar’s left big toe was also amputated at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center.

Malacañang recently issued Executive Order No. 540, conferring the "Champion for Life" award to Filipino achievers including beauty queen Precious Lara Quigaman, the Filipino gold medalists in the last Southeast Asian Games held in Manila, and the first Filipinos who successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest last May.

Receiving information last Monday that he may not be among those included in the official list of Filipinos recognized to have reached Mt. Everest’s summit, Abenojar admitted he was hurt by the snub.

However, his camp received word yesterday that he was among those to be honored as the first Filipinos to conquer the world’s highest peak.

"We realized that the confusion was because we failed to share with the President the story of how I climbed to the top of Mt. Everest. So now we want to pay her a visit so we can tell her our story," he said.

Abenojar also revealed that they are now finishing a video documentary that will feature his odyssey on Mt. Everest.

"The documentary film will serve as my comprehensive presentation of all evidence and proof that I climbed Mt. Everest last May and that I reached the top on May 15, which I climbed through the north face," he said.