10/08/2026
FEATURED TM FOR THE DAY
MY JOURNEY AS A TANAY MOUNTAINEER
“TM MOMSHIE ”
Rowena C. Dala
TM Class 27–23 Batch TARAT
I came to know the Tanay Mountaineers way back in 2013 when we had our family camping experience with TM Doc JBL at Sacramento Adventure Camp. Even then, he always wanted us to become Honorary Members. But because becoming a member would mean sacrificing our New Year celebration, it never happened.
Little did I know that life had another plan for me.
I am a mother of four children and married to a seafarer, Capt. Ricky C. Dala. I got married at the age of 18. I graduated from West Visayas State University in Iloilo City with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, major in Broadcasting, in 2004.
I am a full-time mother, but I have always been active in both civic and non-civic organizations, and even in political organizations. I was raised in Iloilo City, so I never had any idea what it meant to become a Tanay Mountaineer.
In 2022, I met Engr. Carlos E. Inofre Jr during a political campaign.
In 2023, he invited me to become an Honorary Member of the Tanay Mountaineers.
The rest is history.
My journey as a TM is very unique and very challenging.
At first, I thought TM was simply an organization that held monthly meetings, conducted clean-up drives, organized feeding programs, attended meetings, and performed the usual activities of a non-government organization.
But when I entered my first year in TM, I experienced a culture shock.
Webinars here and there.
Series of chats from Engr. Carlos about our taskings—even when we were supposed to be sleeping.
Team pressure.
Friendships broken.
Team backouts.
Team removals.
Until, eventually, I remained in my batch.
I experienced a lot of heartaches and tears. There were moments when I questioned my own well-being. There were moments of mental and emotional exhaustion. There were times when I asked myself:
“Can I still carry on?”
But when everyone else was no longer there, I was still there.
I was trained.
I was tasked.
I attended countless trainings, seminars, events, and awardings.
And slowly, I began to understand.
TM is not just an organization.
It is not merely about climbing mountains, attending trainings, or joining events.
I slowly realized that there are two kinds of people in this world:
TM and Not TM.
I learned how to feed people by cooking over wet twigs and branches.
I learned how to prepare food even when the ingredients were incomplete.
I learned how to cook for everyone without asking who would help me.
I learned to work in unfavorable spaces.
I learned to sleep in the wilderness without the comforts I was used to.
I learned to keep walking even when my body was telling me that I could no longer walk.
At 49, and now at 51, being a TM remains challenging and, at times, a struggle for me.
Most of my seniors are younger than me. But I learned that age does not exempt me from obedience.
You obey.
You respect.
You perform the task given to you.
There were many times when I simply watched everyone and asked myself:
“Can I still do this?”
“Can I cope with an environment where pressure is simply normal?”
But as the years passed, with the help of everyone—especially my mentor, our Founding Chairman, Engr. Carlos E. Inofre Jr—I slowly changed.
I was reborn.
From a wife who was used to simply being submissive at home, I became a wife who became a blood donor.
From simply being a mother, I became very active in organizing things within the organization.
I became a mother whose son could see her doing things he probably never imagined his mother would do:
40-foot rappelling.
Mud sliding.
Camping.
Cooking.
Meetings.
Awardings.
Events.
And so much more.
And perhaps what I love most about being a TM?
Having a glass of Mojito and planning a BIG event for the next day. 😂
Being a TM taught me to be proud of myself, but never to be proud over others.
Everyone is shaping you into a person you never thought you could become.
The vision of TM is to make you the best version of yourself—to discover your potential and enhance your capabilities.
But not for boasting.
Not for recognition.
Not for personal glory.
Instead, TM teaches you to humble yourself.
To become selfless.
To do things without expecting recognition.
To sacrifice.
To give yourself to humanity.
To help build a place where there is resilience, comfort, safety, and hope.
And perhaps someday, when I am no longer here in this lifetime, I want to know that I became someone who served the world.
Because TM is not for everyone.
It is for people willing to sacrifice.
Willing to survive on Saba and Skyflakes.
Willing to be hurt.
Willing to be told that you are still not a full-blooded TM.
Willing not to be recognized even after attaining a high position in life.
Willing to sacrifice what you have in order to serve others.
Willing to face challenges that seem out of this world.
Willing to obey.
Willing to give everything, even risking your life to save others and protect the organization.
And most importantly:
Willing to analyze before acting.
Willing to be loyal.
Willing to remain true to your word.
I also want to share some of the people I look up to in TM.
I want to become like Sir CD—the brain and one of the reasons why TM has survived for 30 years.
I want to become like Sir Val—the calm presence of the organization, who has already brought his entire family into the TM family.
I admire Mam Mameng, who, with her motorcycle, will still be there for every task and event—even without Sir Val.
I want to be like Mam Jopay, who can instantly win a boyfriend—HAHA! 😂
But jokes aside, I admire her willingness to attentively listen to every task, her strength, her competitiveness, and her amazing talent.
I want to become like Mam Karen—serious, composed, and carrying an air of command and respect wherever she goes.
I want to be more like Sir Biogesic, the master of every tasking, one of the most obedient people I know, and yet one of the best in every area he is taught.
I am also fond of Batsoy, Tolongges, and Kanlaon.
In their own little ways, even if they may never be exactly like Mam Mameng, Mam Jopay, Mam Karen, or Sir Biogesic, they remain here.
They remain willing vessels who continue to carry the true mission, vision, and purpose of TM—to train and develop young people.
And then, as I opened my eyes, I realized something.
I can never be anyone else.
I can never become Sir CD.
I can never become Sir Val.
I can never become Mam Mameng.
I can never become Mam Jopay.
I can never become Mam Karen.
I can never become Sir Biogesic.
And that is perfectly fine.
Because being a TM is not measured by how long you have been here.
It is not measured by how short or long your journey has been.
It is not measured by how skillful you are.
It is not measured by how many tasks you have completed.
It is not even measured by how “best” a TM you think you are.
Being a TM is a commitment.
A commitment that you will always remember wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
There will always be a spark.
There will always be a home.
There will always be a life.
There will always be a mission.
There will always be a purpose.
And wherever life takes me, I know one thing for sure:
I will always be a TM.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to become part of this family.
Thank you for the challenges.
Thank you for the pressure.
Thank you for the lessons.
Thank you for the people who stayed.
Thank you even to those who walked away—because somehow, they became part of the person I am today.
I will continue to count the days ahead as I walk through the rest of my life as a Tanay Mountaineer.
Not knowing how many mountains are still waiting for me.
Not knowing how many challenges are still ahead.
But knowing that wherever I go, whatever happens, and whatever life brings, I will carry TM with me for the rest of my lifetime.
TM MOMSHIE Rowena C. Dala
TM Class 27–23 Batch TARAT
“Not for glory. Not for recognition. But for mission, service, and humanity.”
