SABAH, Malaysia- A 7-man China expedition and 9-man Malaysia expedition is the NBFI’s response to the tension between Malaysia and the Philippines over Sabah as well as the rift between China and the Philippines in the Islands of the West Philippine Sea. The international events took place last March 15-21, 2013 as part of the celebration of the 17th NBFI Founding Anniversary. The China Team was led by Sir Edward England while Team Malaysia was led by Bro. Alvin De Guzman. The Sabah, Malaysia Expedition Team did not only climb Mt Kinabalu(Leo), the tallest mountain in South-east Asia, the group also advocated peaceful resolution of the Sabah conflict and learned from Kota Kinabalu Park authorities how to preserve the environment through eco-tourism promotion as what they did in Mt Kinabalu. The China Expedition on the other hand, climbed Mt Mauna Kea (Ferrer), (the tallest mountain in Hong Kong, China), advocated a peaceful resolution on the conflict in the disputed islands of the West Philippine Sea and also learned how to effectively protect a mountain through eco-tourism in line with the advocacies of the Noble Blue Falcons Environmental Mountaineers.
According to Prof. Leonardo Beatriz Usita, National President of Noble Blue Falcons International (NBFI),” You cannot teach what you do not know or believe in. You must explore the horizon outside the Philippines and learned from other countries how to promote and protect every mountain of the Philippines.”
“As we gathered together in a form of pilgrimage to the founding place of NBFI, the “Spirit of Volunteerism” will be duplicated in our future mountaineering projects as we propagate worldwide the “Philosophy of Environmental Mountaineering” which we pioneered by combining Passion climb and Environmental advocacy. We will continue to wage battle against illegal loggers and illegal miners especially now that they are financing other mountaineers to demolish those that fight for environmental protection. Let us not be cowed by these new destroyers of nature posing as mountaineers to defeat the Principle of Environmental Mountaineering in the Philippines. As a sign of our continued efforts to protect Philippine Mountains, we will travel outside the country in 2013 to seek support from our International Chapters through the following activities: Environmental Expedition 2013: 1) At the peak of the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, Mt Kinabalu(Leo), Sabah, Malaysia on March 15-21, 2013; Mt Tai Mo Shan(Ferrer), Hong Kong, China on September 14-16, 2013; Mt Hallasan (Grace) on November 23-30, 2013 in South Korea and in Mt Mauna Kea(Laragan) in Hawaii, USA on December 27-31, 2013 also as part of the year-long celebration of Noble Blue Falcons International’s 17th Founding Anniversary commemorating its birth on March 19, 1996 at the peak of Mt. Falcon in Danayag, Ditumabo, San Luis, Aurora, Philippines.” There will be a Peace and Environmental Expedition also in 2014 in the tallest Mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro (Ram) on March 16-31, 2014.
In Aurora Province , the founding place of the Noble Blue Falcons International(NBFI), the 1st Bughaw Awards(17 Best Residents of Aurora Province) was launched to inspire people to follow the lead of the Best Residents of Aurora Province in their chosen field: Senator Edgardo J. Angara; Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo; Congressman Sonny Angara; Mayors Arthur Angara, Annabelle Tangson, Zenaida Padiernos, Tito Tubigan and Victorio Briones; Former Board Members Shierwin Taay and Danilo Tolentino; Present Board Member Cesar Pimentel; P/Col Benjie Hulipas; Beauty Queen Athena Mae Imperial; Reporter Otonsky Leander; Environmentalist Joseph B. Usita; Educator Jaime Gose and Vice-Governor Gerry A. Noveras.
During the Anniversary celebration in Aurora Province, 12 senatorial candidates were endorsed for the Philippine 2013 midterm elections while a party list group and the local bets where subjected to further deliberations , the choice of which will be announced not later than April 22, 2013.The endorsed senatorial candidates were: Sonny Angara (LP) , Nancy Binay (UNA), Jack Enrile (UNA), Migz Zubiri(UNA), Cynthia Villar(Team Pinoy), Allan Peter Cayetano(Team Pinoy), JV Ejercito Estrada(UNA), Grace Poe (Team Pinoy), Bam Aquino(Team Pinoy), Dick Gordon(UNA), Chiz Escudero(Team Pinoy) and Edward Hagedorn (Independent).
Founded in March 19, 1996 in the Philippines, Noble Blue Falcons International (Environmentalists, Peace Crusaders) has 444,000 maximum total members scattered nationwide with 8,000 Environmental mountaineers helping the provincial Government of Aurora to protect the province’s fast diminishing forest cover thru Task Force Sagip-Kalikasan. By combining passion climb and environmental advocacy, NBFI pioneered Environmental mountaineering in the Philippines in 1996.
NBFI Environmental Mountaineers also hold the Pinoy record of the most number of combined Pinoy and Foreign climbers in a single ascent on a single mountain at 197(American, French, South Korean and Pinoy mountaineers) in the Philippine International Climb 2011 to Save Sierra in the conquest and reforestation of Mt. Falcon in Ditumabo, San Luis, Aurora, Philippines last April 30-May 1, 2011. At the head count of 444,000 total maximum members, the Noble Blue Falcons International (NBFI) is the biggest environmental group in the country today in terms of manpower strength. (Noble Blue Falcons Aurora)
Bagong Aurora Website ng Bayan 