Leo Oracion

Leo Oración (born 1974) is a Filipino mountaineer and sportsman widely recognized as the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 17, 2006, at the age of 32. He reached the summit at 3:30 p.m. (local time), together with 15 other climbers.

Oración was a member of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition, whose quest to conquer Everest was supported by the ABS-CBN television network, among other entities. On May 13, 2006, Oración left Base Camp and proceeded up the mountain. He reached the summit on the afternoon of May 17. Upon reaching the top, Oración radioed, "The Philippine Eagle has landed." His statement is based on Neil Armstrong's message "The Eagle has landed" when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, nicknamed the "Eagle", landed on the moon. The following day, May 18, fellow expedition member Emata became the second Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Oración's status as the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest has been challenged by another Filipino climber, Dale Abenojar, who claims to have reached the summit from the northern side on May 15 — two days before Oración. Abenojar's claim has been registered in Mount Everest chronicler Elizabeth Hawley's Himalayan Database. Abenojar also presented a certificate which claimed that he was certified by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) to have summitted Everest via the North Col on May 15, 2006 at 10:45 a.m. Beijing time (or 8:45 a.m. Nepal time). However, he wasn't among the climbers that EverestNews.com reported to have summitted the mountain from the northern side on that date.