MANILA - In a Philippine Coast Guard barracks somewhere in Metro Manila, there’s a room full of accomplished individuals including a pilot, an Olympian, a world champion paddler and a mountaineer who had successfully reached the summit of Mt. Everest.

All of them are women.

Women - daughters, sisters and mothers - are born with innate strengths that enable them to scale even the highest mountain on the planet, said Noelle Cristina Wenceslao, one of the first three Filipinas to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 2007.

Born in a life wherein ballet and piano lessons are part of growing up, Wenceslao, who said quiz bee used to be her only form of competition, surprisingly developed a passion for the outdoors including dragon boating and mountaineering, among others, which are usually male-dominated fields.

"My father introduced us and influenced us to appreciate nature and the outdoors. It wasn't until college that I tried to find a way to avoid being sedentary. I ended up signing up for the UP Dragon Boat Team," she told ABS-CBN News.

"In the dragon boat team, I met mountaineers who invited me to join their adventure racing team and later the UP Mountaineers."

FILIPINAS ATOP MT. EVEREST 

Scaling Mt. Everest is not an easy feat for any gender.

The challenge was even more pronounced for Wenceslao and her fellow mountaineers Janet Belarmino and Carina Dayondon, who were the first Filipinas to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in May 2007.

She shared that although they all have one goal, they all faced unique challenges prior to the climb. But with resilience and will, they managed to turn these obstacles into "something positive" that helped them reach the top.

Belarmino, who Wenceslao nicknamed "the mother," gave birth in December 2006 and started acclimatizing for the climb in February 2007. She gave up breastfeeding and embarked on a journey not knowing if she'll be able to see her son again.

"Our expedition leader (Art Valdez) allowed Janet to climb because he said that if the three women are buried in an avalanche, it is the mother who will claw her way out of the snow to return to her baby," Wenceslao said.

Dayondon, "the sister," almost quit the expedition because of the pressure to earn money to send her 14 siblings to school and to save their home from being foreclosed. She won P1 million in a sporting event she joined prior to the climb, which was a clear sign from God that she must proceed, Wenceslao shared.

Wenceslao's mother died while she was training for the climb. She was only home for the wake and the funeral, and had to suffer the agony of leaving her father behind during one climbing trip before the Mt. Everest expedition.

"I was the daughter. I'm a Mama's girl and Papa's girl. And then, I was also the sickly one... My first successful climb was in Alaska, Denali. I made it and traveled back to Manila and I was so excited to tell my parents. I was calling my Mom to pick me up, I was being a bit bratty 'coz I want to tell her about my successful climb....And then I got a call from my Dad that my mom has suffered a stroke on the way to the airport. I was to take a cab to the hospital and then I didn't catch her alive," she narrated.

"That was the hardest part. I was in the Philippines only long enough for her wake and her funeral, and then I have to travel to Nepal for an expedition again. That's the hardest expedition for me," she said.

So, for the Mt. Everest ascent, she said she spent her life savings so she could bring her father to the base camp. He was there waiting when they made the descent.

"The way Janet and Carina and I turned tragedy into something positive speaks of how strong Filipina women are in general. I took my strength into how I turned my Mom's passing into something positive... Spiritually, she was actually able to join me," said Wenceslao.

"I like to think of mountains as an equalizer, in that men and women are equally welcomed by the spirits of the mountain. Where men have strong legs, women have a stronger resolve. On a mountain, men and women are on equal footing," she added.

FORGET ABOUT BARRIERS, STEREOTYPES 

Following the expedition, the team sailed aboard a replica of the ancient Balangay all the way to China. She also joined the national dragon boat team which competed in the SEAGames.

Unsurprisingly, Wenceslao's professional calling is unconventional since she considers defeating men in their niche, excelling in sports and traversing the most physically grueling terrains as normal.

She entered the Philippine Coast Guard, another elite institution known to be dominated by men. The married 44-year old is now a dedicated diver for the PCG.

“While trying to get into an all-male unit [of the Philippine Coast Guard], the stereotype didn’t occur to me. In my barracks, the girl that lives below me is a 2-time Olympian, in the next bed is the world champion paddler, and then in the next room is the first woman cadet from the PMMA to join the Marines. And in the next building is the first woman pilot of the Philippine Coast Guard,” said Wenceslao.

She said self-discipline is crucial in her success.

"My work in the Coast Guard requires a little more than the usual amount of adaptability and tolerance. This gave me my other secret weapon — the ability to function and be comfortable in weird and unexpected environments and conditions. My go-to secret weapon has always been self-discipline. During times when we struggle with inspiration and motivation, discipline keeps me moving," she said.

Meeting like-minded achievers is also a key to becoming one, she said.

“In trying to climb Mt. Everest, trying to win in the dragon boat team, and trying to get in the coast guard, breaking some kind of stereotype is not in front of my head. I was just being myself and doing what I wanted to do,” Wenceslao said.

“You should surround yourself with people who are open-minded, like the Olympian below me, the world champion below me, the pilot in the other room, the woman cadet… For all the women who want to get out there, go out there and meet these people… The more of these people you meet, the more normal they are to you and the more you don't think there is a stereotype to break.”

Noelle Wenceslao has now devoted most of her time and abilities serving as a member of the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo: Noelle Wenceslao

Noelle Wenceslao has now devoted most of her time and abilities serving as a member of the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo: Noelle Wenceslao

Noelle Wenceslao has now devoted most of her time and abilities serving as a member of the Philippine Coast Guard. Photo: Noelle Wenceslao

Being "girly" or "kikay" is not a measure of what a woman is capable of, Wenceslao said while sharing that she once met a girl pilot in Alaska who loves "glitters, and rainbows and unicorns."

"She was super pink, she likes glitters, rainbows and unicorns, stereotypical girly girl. Her room is a little log cabin in the mountain and it had stickers of rainbows, unicorns and glitters on the window. She said, 'Welcome to my room, I built it by hand'. So she chopped the wood by herself, built the cabin by herself and put stickers on it," Wenceslao said.

Wenceslao is still currently with the PCG, living her passion under the same grueling schedule as any other member of the force. She shared they are only out of water for a few hours a day.

She hopes women would follow their dreams and passion to find their joy.

"Struggling to search and pressuring yourself to find that "one" thing can be frustrating or might feel forced. Rather, I like to keep an open mind and an open heart for everyday experiences. Appreciate little and simple moments, and therein you will inadvertently discover your big joy," Wenceslao said.

This article is part of the Amazing Women series of ABS-CBN News this month of March, featuring stories of select women who are making a mark in their respective fields and advocacies. March is National Women's Month in the Philippines.

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