Mt. Hamugnaw
Discovery by Negrense Mountaineers of an Iloilo Peak
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The rock-summit of Mount Hamugnaw on August 30, 2000. Windswept, the summit offers a spectacular view that compensates for its short climbing time.
                                                                The Peak

                Mt. Hamugnaw (likely the compound of Hiligaynon words 'hamog' or 'dew' and 'bugnaw' or 'cold') is situated in Brgy. Manganese in Anilao town in the provine of Iloilo. Rising at approximately 1,800 ft., Mt. Hamugnaw is a lowly mountain with a very spectacular summit. It is topped by a 90-foot rock out-crop. Its rock is called locally as a 'dalepe', a fantastically fused variety of rock materials, resembling a molded concrete. Some stones could be detached from the surface - a risk when used as a hand-hold or foot-hold in climbing.
                 Windswept, the top of the rock offers a cool temperature even  in summer, hence its name.  With the absence of vegetation particularly on the rock and its position as the tallest in the chain of fold mountains, Hamugnaw offers a clear vantage in Upper Central Iloilo facing the eastern coast.
                 Only Galing-galing, an adjacent peak, gives a partial block of the view to the east.  Fortunately, Galing-galing is a scenic mountain, also rocky.  Some barangay residents claim that the top of  Galing-galing which is known for its flat rock that resembles a 'galingan'  or 'millstone'  has a flat field of low grasses (with the size of a volleyball court).
                          The Discovery of Mt. Hamugnaw by Negrense Mountaineers

                 While Mt. Hamugnaw is unknown to the Iloilo-based mountaineers, many folks in the surrounding barangays flock to its rok-summit during Holy Week.
                   Ernina Defino (KSDM), a mountaineer from Vitorias City in Negros Occidental climbed Mt. Hamugnaw together with some relatives in Brgy. Manganese in the middle og August 2000. On her climb, she found this inscription on the top-most rock: The Red Hikers '92. Obviously, the Red Hikers (likely a local band styling as a mountaineering group) claims of climbing this peak in 1992.
                   Thereafter, after the August 2000 climb of Mt. Madja-as by her Victorias climbing party, Ernina offered Hamugnaw for a side-trip. Eventually, Dennis Ella (SB), Mariebelle Porras (SB) and Jeffrey Legaspi (NTCI) together with Noeh Celiz (guide) climbed it on August 30, 2000.   
                            Potentials as a Legitimate Mountaineering Destination

                  Jeffrey Legaspi considers Mt. Hamugnaw comparable to Mt. Napulak (in Igbaras town) which is being promoted by the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Mountaineers or UPVM. Indeed, the windswept rock-summit of Hamugnaw could elicit a feeling that one is on top of K2 or any alpine crag-peak (a fog erasing all senes of tropical vegetation ould enhance such sensation).
                   Overnight camping on the peak offers several possibilities. Setting a tent on the rock requires strong lashings against  the wind while the tent, in itself, should be able to withstand the gale. Meanwhile, a leeward shelter is possible in the bush beyond the rock, provided one has a machete to hack a tent ground over the growth of 'cogon' and 'tigbaw'.
                    The only drawback of the mountain is its short climbing time, about one hour on the West Slopes (excluding hiking time to position at the base). To compensate for this brevity, the West Slopes is very steep and slippery especially in the wet season (its soil is black and aerated by worms).  Moreover, evasion of technical climbing could not spare the climber from the tendency to negotiate at the base ofthe rocks with sections that require the nimbleness and creativity of a rock climber. For best results, it is advisable to bring a piece of climbing rope and sets of ascenders when climbing Hamugnaw.  
                                          Important Considerations

                 PERMIT TO CLIMB: The mayor of Ailao is Mayor Igmidio Cabangal (1998-2001) and the leader of Brgy. Manganese is Brgy. Capt. Ronaldo Laraya (1997-2002) . Although anybody is free to climb Hamugnaw, it is advisable to at least pay respect to the barangay captain before climbing.
                  ACCESS: Brgy. Manganese is connected to the Anilao poblacion by a dirt road, barely one hour of ride. A jeepney regularly departs at 10:00 a.m. (open to a 1-hour delay) in Barotac Nuevo market, runs for 30 minutes and temporarily stops in Anilao poblacion  before proceeding to Manganese. This jeepney leaves the barangay at 6:30 a.m. to reverse the mentioned route.
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