BAYBAY, Leyte — The Samar Mountaineering and Outdoor Club, Inc. (SAMOC) is set to host the next year’s edition of the Visayas Mountain Festival (VMF), as announced during the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Incorporated (MFPI) Presidents Meeting held on March 22 at the VSU Beach Garden Resort in Baybay City, Leyte.
SAMOC President Ricky Bautista expressed excitement about showcasing Samar province’s tourism sites, which include caves, mountains, waterfalls, river cruises, and other adventure tourism sites. He highlighted plans to introduce new adventure activities, such as hiking Mt. Danglay, exploring caves in Basey and Calbiga, and offering white water sports in Sta. Rita and Paranas, Samar.
Aside from tourism offerings, the VMF will also offer survival trainings such as Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC), Advanced Mountaineering Course (AMC), Orienteering, Single Rope Technique (SRT), Jungle Survival to be handled by MFPI accredited instructors and invited resource persons.
Fun games such as cooking fest, speed tent pitching, and other team building games will also be conducted. A semi-music festival especially during the culmination night is also one of the most sought activity during VMF.
The venue’s accessibility was also emphasized, being just a stone’s throw away from the main highway and a few minutes land travel from the Tacloban City airport, making it convenient for participants from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
MFPI President Hensel Quiling, and this year’s VMF host Neil Mabini of the Pangasugan Trailblazers, along with other club presidents in the Visayas approved Samar as the venue for next year’s VMF.
During the meeting, there was also a discussion about MFPI engaging in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) campaign for environment protection and conservation.
The Visayas meeting was attended by clubs such as USM, SMOC, SAMOC, CUERNOS, NU LOC, NEON GEN, TMC, Oryol, COAT, UPM, and NOSTRA.
The MFPI’s schedule of events for next year includes the Mindanao Summit in Bukidnon (February 2025), All Women’s Climb in Bohol (March 2025), MFPI Annual Climb and Presidents Meeting (April 2025), and VMF in Samar (August 2025).
VMF is an annual gathering of MFPI member clubs showcasing tourism sites in the Visayas, rotatedly hosted by Visayas member clubs.
