ANYONE thinking of trekking the mountains of Alegria town should comply with guidelines for their safety lest they suffer the same fate of the five hikers who got lost for hours and had to be rescued late last Sunday evening.
Senior Insp. Rogen Bulutan, Alegria municipal police chief, identified the trekkers as 25-year-old Jireh Forester, a health officer residing in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, 24-year-old medical student Reno Nagasan, 24-year-old nursing student John Vincent Brennan and call center agents Mary Rose Gomos and Jane Arvi.
Nagasan, Brennan, Gomos and Arvi were residents of Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City.
They started their trek at 7 a.m. and were found by a rescue team sent after them at past 8:30 p.m. last Sunday.
Mae Listones, Alegria disaster risk reduction manager officer, said the five trekkers were supposed to climb Mt. Lanaya in Barangay Legaspi, Alegria town.
But instead of starting at the officially identified trail in Barangay Legaspi, the trekkers instead went to Sitio Lumbo in Barangay Montañeza in Malabuyoc town.
Listones said the trekkers did not coordinate with the barangay officials and had no tourist guide.
They also relied on their Google Maps to make their way through the forest.
“The five trekkers arrived without logging in, a violation of protocol which requires visitors to check in once they enter the forest going in Mt. Lanaya.
They did not also pay for the entrance and didn’t even hire a local tourist guide,” Listones said.
Listones said the trail going to Mt. Lanaya is not easy even for veteran mountaineers.
She said the five of them were first-time trekkers and were unfamiliar with the terrain.
After reaching the peak of Mt. Lanaya, the five decided to return to their starting point only to wander around in circles, Listones said.
A rescue team was sent after them, and they were discovered in an area with near zero visibility.
The team told the trekkers to use their flashlights and whistle so they can be found.
All five sustained injuries, and one of them supposedly lost consciousness, Listones said.
They were brought to the nearest hospital and were discharged at past 2 a.m. yesterday.