Sacred sites and tourism

HAPPY WEEKEND

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE  - A very  recent workshop on  protection and promotion of indigenous knowledge reminded me of an incident in Sagada when  Me and You Productions, a travel documentary film company based in London, UK  conducted a documentation on how to make a coffin and have it  hauled up at Hanging Coffins at Echo Valley sometime this July 2013.

The company through their facilitator in the Philippines wrote a letter to the Acting Tourism Officer of the local government unit of Sagada received by the Office of the Secretary of the Mayor who reportedly gave the go signal for the company to proceed documentation. 

With a guide and an elder to complete the documentation, the film company was able to accomplish their mission, got photos on the making of a coffin and the hauling up of the coffin along the rocky slopes at Echo Valley. Besides, they did not pay the necessary fees as required in a municipal ordinance, as claimed by the treasurer’s office.

The Sangguniang Bayan heared about the incident and summoned the  guide, the elder and the secretary in accordance with the  an ordinance providing  specific amount on film making and other related activities,regulatory  provisions  for observance and compliance  prior to  the conduct of the activity, prohibitory  provisions on activities  that runs  contrary to the established  customs, culture and  traditional practises of the people of  Sagada. 

Among the provisions of the ordinance provided was a procedure  allowing documentation before the activity shall be done, and which was not  observed .  

The guide was penalized financially with her taking responsibility for what happened, and so with the elder customarily penalized with the incident talked about during cultural gatherings, and the secretary of  the  mayor who gave the go-signal un-penalized.  The legislative body also ruled that the documentation shall not be shown in public.

With the popularization of sacred sites as tourist spots poses vulnerability for picture taking, filming, and other documentation  without the people’s knowing and consent. What more, in the above scenario  where an ordinance is existing and still violated tells the vulnerable exploitation or mismanagement of sacred spots.           

Considered sacred sites in Sagada include the ‘patpatayan’ or the ‘babawiyan’ where  old men congregate during  community agricultural rituals, the hanging coffins , caves, springs, falls and mountains much as there are spirits which guard these.  

Almost all sites  visited by  tourists  are sacred- the Sumaguing  Cave as this is a burial cave,  the Lumyang burial caves too, Pongas falls, Bumod-ok falls  and all the waters  especially springs where it is believed that  spirits abound in these natural resources  guard these  so  the belief  that  the spring should not be  dirtied.   

Similarly in other indigenous places, sacred sites  are found  in almost  all natural resources  much as indigenous peoples  staying in these areas have beliefs close to the nurturing of spirits, of rivers, mountains and burial caves.

With the provision of  the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act  (IPRA)  for indigenous peoples right  to control, manage, develop, protect, and conserve sacred sites,  localized  procedures on their control and  management are  wanting , best left to the indigenous peoples  to come up with local guidelines  and have  these  forwarded to local government  units  for legislation.   

With these, the LGU and other  sectors as tourist  guides are  guided on how to deal with film and video companies, individuals and other institutions doing documentation, filming and research on sacred sites in particular and other natural spots and events as well.