Leo Oración (born 1974) is a Filipino mountaineer and sportsman widely recognized as the first Filipino to reach the summit of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...

on May 17, 2006, at the age of 32. He reached the summit at 3:30 p.m. (local time), together with 15 other climbers.

Early life

Oración was born in the town of Lucbán in

Quezon Province Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Prior to climbing Mount Everest, he worked as a lifeguard at the Shangri-La Hotel in

Mactan Island Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers (~1 mile) east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of Cebu province and it is divided into the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova. The island is sep ...

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

. He quit his job to pursue his passion full-time. Aside from being a mountaineer, he is also a triathlete who has won various adventure races. He and fellow Mount Everest summiteer

Erwin Emata Erwin "Pastor" Emata (born ca. 1973/1974 in Makilala, North Cotabato) is a mountain climber and a runner from the Philippines. In 2006, he became the second Filipino to climb Mount Everest. His achievement was recognized by then Philippine Presi ...

are also enlisted officers of the

Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within P ...

. He is also a member of the triathlon team, Coast Guard-Sandugo, which placed second in the Philippine adventure race, the Carrera Habagat.

Everest expedition

Oración was a member of the

First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition The 2006 Philippine Mount Everest expedition is a Filipino mountaineering expedition that made a successful attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest via the traditional southeast ridge route in May 2006 during the spring climbing season in th ...

, whose quest to conquer Everest was supported by the

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

television network, among other entities. On May 13, 2006, Oración left

Base Camp Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and proceeded up the mountain. He reached the summit on the afternoon of May 17. Upon reaching the top, Oración radioed, "The Philippine Eagle has landed." His statement is based on

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

's message "The Eagle has landed" when the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

Lunar Module The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...

, nicknamed the "Eagle", landed on the moon. The following day, May 18, fellow expedition member Emata became the second Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Upon conclusion of his ascent, Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation awarded Oración with a summit certificate which indicated his Mount Everest summit ascent on May 17 via the south col. ''EverestNews.com'' also reported Oración's successful summit feat on its website. Oración's status as the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest has been challenged by another Filipino climber,

Dale Abenojar Dale or dales may refer to: Locations * Dale (landform), an open valley * Dale (place name element) Geography ;Australia *The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean ;Canada *Dale, Ontario ;Ethiopia *Dale (woreda), district ;Norway *Da ...

, who claims to have reached the summit from the northern side on May 15 — two days before Oración. Abenojar's claim has been registered in Mount Everest chronicler

Elizabeth Hawley Elizabeth Hawley (9 November 1923 – 26 January 2018) was an American journalist, author, and chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering expeditions. Hawley's ''The Himalayan Database'' became the unofficial record for climbs in the Nepalese Himal ...

's ''Himalayan Database.'' Abenojar also presented a certificate which claimed that he was certified by the

China Tibet Mountaineering Association The China Tibet Mountaineering Association (also known as China Tibet Mountaineering Team) is the only authorized issuing authority of Everest summiteers on the northern Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much ...

(CTMA) to have summitted Everest via the North Col on May 15, 2006 at 10:45 a.m. Beijing time (or 8:45 a.m. Nepal time). However, he wasn't among the climbers that ''EverestNews.com'' reported to have summitted the mountain from the northern side on that date.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oracion, Leo Living people People from Quezon Filipino mountain climbers Filipino summiters of Mount Everest 1974 births

Early life

Everest expedition

See also

References