Last April 26, four members of the Philippine team of the Lighthouse Club (LHC) joined the club’s annual Mt. Kinabalu climb for charity, and reached the summit of Southeast Asia’s highest peak.
Austrian Guenter Taus and Briton Finn Carew of Jardine Engineering Corp. (JEC) Philippines, Taus’ wife Ottilia Hitomi Taus (the only Filipina in a group of Philippine-based expats), and Briton Mark Faulkner of Concepcion-Carrier Philippines joined the Asia-Pacific Lighthouse Club Ascent of the 4,095 meter-high Mt. Kinabalu.
The climb raised money for the Lighthouse Club fund, which finances underprivileged engineering students through college and also supports the families of injured construction workers. This year, the climb aimed to raise $250,000 in total. The Philippine team estimates to contribute about $10,000, all donated by corporate and individual sponsors.
The Lighthouse Club (LHC) Manila is a nongovernment organization whose members are primarily in the construction industry, although membership is open to all sectors of industry.
The club was founded in 1997 by Lighthouse Club stalwarts working in Hong Kong. Although a relatively small branch of the worldwide club, LHC Manila has been involved in charitable causes.
Since the Philippines has never had a team join the activity, JEC Philippines, a leading heating, ventilation and air-conditioning provider, led the establishment of the first ever Lighthouse Philippines team to climb Sabah, Malaysia’s renowned mountain.
On the first day, the team climbed to 3,200 meters. At 2:30 a.m. on the second day, the last phase of the ascent started and the team reached the peak just after sunrise at 6 am, to a breathtaking view.
It was a gruelling walk of about 18 hours over two days, on difficult terrain, and into the thinning air of high altitudes. At several points, climbers had to use ropes to scramble up steep rocks. It was, however, a fantastic experience to watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain, said the climbers.
JEC Philippines will continue to support the Lighthouse Club’s many advocacies.