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Ana Margarita Zapanta of First Gas, one of the
91-strong Lopez Group-led mountaineers who climbed Mount Pulag on
February 15 to 16, came up with this observation, “If you want to
get to know another person better, climb a mountain with him/her.” Indeed,
we will derive lessons from Mount Pulag and our climb not only about
how people behave in certain conditions but also in how to manage
and lead businesses.
First, some backgrounder and
environmental analysis.
Mount Pulag straddles portions of
the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya in Northern
Luzon. It is roughly 50 km, or 3 hours by car north of Baguio City.
It is also accessible by foot from the capital town of Bayombong and
located toward the boundary of Nueva Viscaya and Benguet.
Along the way from Baguio, you
will pass the very powerful Ambuklao Hydroelectric Dam and
crisscross the scenic upper Agno River that feeds the dam. Ambuklao
is the biggest rock filled dam in Asia and is considered one of the
huge projects that happened in the Cordillera area in the 1950s. The
other dam along the upstream of Agno is Binga Dam.
Mount Pulag is home to different
indigenous tribes such as Kalanguya, Ibaloi, Karao and Kankana-ey.
According to the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR),
these tribes regard the mountain as a sacred place. “They have a
rich folklore about ancestral spirits inhabiting trees, lakes and
mountains. Agriculture, both subsistence and market oriented, is
their major livelihood. Crops grown include rice, cabbage, potato
carrot, beans, snow peas, tomato, lettuce and sweet potato.”
The Mount Pulag National Park
covers about 11,560 hectares of public domain that lies on the north
and south spine of the Grand Cordillera Central Mountain Ranges in
the municipalities of Bokod, Kabayan and Buguias in Benguet; the
municipality of Tinoc in Ifugao; and the municipality of Kayapa in
Nueva Viscaya. It stands majestically at 2,922 meters above sea
level and the highest point in Luzon, second only to Mount Apo in
Mindanao standing regally at 2,954 meters, a difference of only
about 32 meters.
It is managed under the National
Integrated Protected Areas Program (NIPAP), a joint project of the
government of the Philippines, through the DENR and the European
Union (EU). It could use a lot more assistance from every
Filipino.
DENR says Mount Pulag has a large
diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to the
mountain. “Its wildlife includes threatened mammals such as the
Philippine Brown Deer, Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat and the Luzon
Pygmy Fruit Bat. One can also find several orchid species some of
which are possibly endemic to Mount Pulag, and other rare flora such
as the pitcher plant.
“It has floral affinities with
those of temperate continental Asia, Australasia and to some extent
Peninsular Malaysia. Studies show that Mount Pulag contains 528
plant species and 42 percent of which are endemic to the area. The
park is habitat of 76 bird species, 14 species of which are
migratory, 9 are endemic to Luzon and 30 species are endemic to the
Philippines. Also, 14 bird species have a global distribution of
less than 50,000 sq km and 9 are threatened species.”
Next columns, let’s discuss
lessons from our climb and from the experiences of the climbers led
by Lopez Group top honcho, Oscar M. Lopez, who at 76 is the oldest
to climb Mount Pulag with not a scratch or hiccup and is ready to
challenge Mount Apo soon.
ASTD 2007. The American Society
for Training & Development International Conference and
Exposition will be held on June 3 to 6 at the Georgia World Congress
Center, Atlanta, Georgia. The plenary speakers are Jim Collins,
Keith Ferrazzi and Tom Rath. When you register, you may use
delegation code (20070256) to avail of discounted registration fee.
You may also join the Learning & Innovation Team for discounted
travel package.
For details log on to
astd2007.astd.org. for details.
(Moje consults on business excellence and talent management. Her
e-mail addy is moje@mydestiny.net)
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