Arturo T. Valdez: Dreamer, Adventurer, Worker, and ‘Patriot’

Art Valdez's public service career spanned multiple administrations, serving as Undersecretary in various assignments during the presidencies of Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Rodrigo Duterte. He was briefly appointed Special Envoy to the Middle East from October 2007 to March 2008. Throughout his government service, he played a crucial role in reforming the maritime industry, rationalizing the land transport sector, and protecting the environment.

Before his public service, Valdez was passionate about the outdoors and mountaineering. He became an active member and eventually president of the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines, Inc., the largest organization of mountaineering clubs in the country. In 2004, he fully committed to the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition, forming the team, raising funds, and embarking on training expeditions in India, New Zealand, China, Pakistan, Tibet, Alaska, and Nepal. This effort culminated in the successful ascent of Mt. Everest by the first Filipinos in May 2006, with the Philippine flag being planted at the peak. In 2007, he led the world record-setting “first and only traverse” of Mt. Everest by three Filipino women, a feat that remains unmatched in Himalayan mountaineering history until today. In 2008, Valdez completed the challenging 42km Mt. Everest Marathon in 10 hours, 5 minutes, and 46 seconds.

Valdez also served as the Expedition Leader of the Voyage of the Balangay, sailing a replica of an ancient Southeast Asian boat (circa 320 A.D.) around the Philippines and Southeast Asia over 17 months. A few years ago, he successfully crossed the South China Sea on another Balangay voyage to commemorate the 600-year trade and cultural visit of Sultan Paduka Batara of the Sultanate of Sulu to the Ming Emperor of China in 1417. Most recently, in May-June 2024, Valdez built his sixth Balangay boat and sailed it into the West Philippine Sea to symbolize the presence of this ancient boat in these waters for thousands of years, long, long before the Chinese ever set foot in these places.