Lance's HaloBlogs: Dahong Palay Mountaineers

How the Group Started?

It was all started in 2005, when three good friends, Ian Villamin, Allan Tisado, and Joepz Tanega attended a town fiesta in Majayjay, Sta. Cruz, Laguna. From there, they decided to have an overnight camp at Majayjay Falls together with their two other friends, Robert and Shirley.

After camping at Majayjay Falls, the three (Ian, Allan, and Joepz) headed back to Pacita and hang out at Allan's house to talk about the fun they had at the camping. After a while, another friend Ronald Fines, arrived and joined them in their discussion. There were more exciting experiences in the mountains that had been discussed because both Ian and Ronald shared a common interest in mountaineering. Ian (a former member of SANIBS and Mountain GOAT Clubs) and Ronald (also a former member of SANIBS) continued to encourage Allan and Joepz to try it. The two gave in and decided to give it a try after hearing more interesting stories about the mountains. From their passionate hobby, love for nature, and passion for the outdoors, a new group was born. On the 5th of December in 2005, they had their first group climb at Mt. Romelo, Famy, Laguna.

Naming the group proved to be just as hard as forming it. At first, they tried mixing up the initials of their names but none of which would work and so they finally came up with the brilliant idea of naming the group after a vine snake. It was originally named Dahonpalay Mountaineers. However, after doing much intensive research, it was later found out that Dahonpalay should have been written as Dahong Palay. That is why they changed the name as it is known today.

Dahong Palay Mountaineers carries on the legacy of the four core founders of the group. They were soon after joined in by men and women who share the same ideals and interests. Gaining a number of group members coming from the North to the South, DPM is now a more organized and a reputable organization which aims not just to climb and conquer mountains, but also to protect and preserve our nature by promoting responsible mountaineering through the implementation of the Leave No Trace (LNT) ethics. Indeed, all of us in DPM have something in common--a sense of adventure and passion in exploring Mother Earth.

Logo: Originally designed by Rommel Fines (Sir Nono) and Enhanced by Joefrey Tanega (Sir Joepz)

Affiliation: FIMO (Alliance of Filipino Mountaineers) – yr2009

Core Founders:

Ronald Fines – President (active) but working abroad (AUE)

Ian Villamin - former Team Leader (retired)

Allan Tisado - former Medic (retired)

Joepz Tanega - Adviser (active) but working abroad (UAE)

Here is a glimpse of the group...