Aside from the 29 applicants, IT system analyst Romi Garduce, who has previously hiked up to the summit of Africa's tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro at , was also invited to be part of the expedition. Given his job at a top multinational IT firm, which would make it difficult for him to commit to the preparations, Garduce ultimately declined the national team's invitation to join the expedition. He also stated in his blog that he preferred to climb alone or with a small group. Garduce eventually decided to organize his own expedition in 2005 and received financial support from TV network GMA 7, which had exclusive coverage rights to his climb.