Hiker Bianca Lawas wears red Filipiniana and raises PH flag at Mt. Everest base camp

“Representing the Philippines in Everest Base Camp in my Red Filipiniana Gown.” (Photo: Bianca Lawas/Facebook)

Proud to be from the Philippines, hiker Bianca Lawas braves the dangerously low temperatures at the base camp of Mount Everest in the Himalayas to pose for a photograph proudly wearing a red Baro’t saya, also known as a Filipiniana dress and raising the country’s national flag.

In an Instagram post on Lawas’s account shared last Sunday, April 28 that has since gone viral, the adventurer shares, “Changing into my Filipiniana National Costume outdoors while snowing at 5364 meters above sea level with -15 degree celsius temperature is no joke! No joke at all!” She also adds that her trip to base camp was on Monday, april 22.

As of writing, Lawas’ photograph has received more than 2,600 reactions, 1,500 shares, and 210 comments.

Amaryllis Bianca Lawas is originally from Malate, Manila who has been traveling since she was a student in 2000. Ten years later, she found her love for mountain climbing, telling The Inquirer, “I joined different groups, but I used to be with my group of hikers and traveler friends called Storm Chasers,” explaining that when that group became inactive, she found another group of friends dubbed as the Lakwatseros. To prepare for their trek to basecamp, Lawas and the Lakwatseros climbed Mt. Apo, Mt. Halcon, and Mt. Guiting-Guiting in the Philippines, as well as Mt. Kinabalu and Mt. Fuji internationally.

To get to the base of Mt. Everest, Lawas and five of her friends started their climb last Friday, April 12, explaining, “We had a short layover flight in Kuala Lumpur and arrived in Kathmandu on April 13, 2019. Sir Miguel Mapalad of Yabag Mountaineering was there for us at the start, but he had to go back to the Philippines before our flight to Lukla for his local project,” therefore taking on six to eight hours of hiking a day for ten days. She concludes, “I feel accomplished and great whenever I reach the summit of mountains most especially the difficult ones,” adding that after sporting the national costume on the mountain, foreign hikers who now see her exclaim, “Look, it’s Ms. Philippines!”