Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

His face is probably very familiar and can be seen on a lot of t-shirts. It has become quite a fashion item despite the fact that the people who wear these shirts are often clueless about who this bearded guy really is. Its funny but hey, its none of my business so I didn’t bother. Until last week that is, we were in Batangas after descending from Gulugod Baboy. Teth, one member of our group, was wearing a Che Guevara shirt. So I asked her if she knew who the guy was. She not surprisingly, didn’t have a clue.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. He studied to become a doctor at the University of Buenos Aires. He participated in leftist movements in Guatemala and Mexico and became acquainted with Cuban expatriates in those countries. He joined Castro's revolutionary Cuban army in 1956 as a top commander and Castro's personal physician. He helped Castro topple the regime in Havana in 1959.

Guevara went to create new revolutionary movements and wage armed struggle in Angola in Africa and all over Latin America. In 1967 the fearless Che Guevarra became an even larger myth after he was captured and killed by Bolivian forces while trying to foster revolution in South America.

This particular shirt along with a Mao cap has become somewhat of a fashion statement for leftist activists and revolutionaries, until the whole thing was taken over by capitalism. Che is probably turning in his grave, since his face has been hijacked by fashion conscious people who have no knowledge of what he fought for.

Going back to the last week’s climb. I don’t really care about Che or his revolution nor do I care what people wear. But in the same way that military gear, uniform, or equipment should not be used or even brought during a climb, I think the same should apply for Che Guevara shirts, Mao caps, or maybe even leftist music. This is in the event that you encounter a Military checkpoint or patrol. I think we should be very careful and not risk being identified as NPA guerrillas. Better to be safe than sorry.