Due to heavy rains, seven mountain hikers have been stranded since Saturday at Tarak Ridge inside Mount Mariveles in Mariveles, Bataan.
In an initial report from Pilar Mayor Charlie Pizarro, Jr., five males and two females have been reported stranded but one of them managed to call the authorities for help.
Pizarro added that the rescue operation has been on going by combined forces of Bataan PNP, MBDA, AFP, village watchmen and local rescue units from Mariveles LGUs.
According to a report from the Metro Bataan Development Authority (MBDA), the stranded mountain hikers were identified as John Job Tarriela, Jhazier Samsom, Aaron Gloria, Henmhark Sumandal, Didith Rose Mangalindan, Janine Dizon and Mark Joseph Gemina.
Tarak Ridge is a part of Mount Mariveles’ many peaks and notable for its rocky terrain, steep cliffs, and jagged rocks.
Residents here in turn named the ridge Tarak, an amalgam of “Tabak” (hunting knife) and “Tarik” (steep).
According to the locals here, climbing Tarak Ridge is actually moderate to hard, in terms of difficulty.