Sagada bonfire fest hit for marketing culture

HAPPY WEEKEND

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE - Exasperated residents here from Poblacion Sagada through a petition, meetings, and social networking voiced their indignation over a bonfire fest here scheduled December 27 and 28  at Tangeb grounds "showcasing  Igorot tribal dancing and gong playing” among other issues.

In a recent gathering with residents from Dagdag,Demang and Patay barangays at the municipal hall presided by vice mayor Benjamin Capuyan, the heavily questioned marketing of culture as a come-on for the bonfire fest resulted to an agreement in consensus with local officials here that the cultural event be 'modified' and transferred somewhere else.

Along the course of the discussion, 'modified' cultural presentations meant the non-use of cultural attires- gateng and the wanes- and non-conduct of organized cultural group performance following the modification comment from Indigenous Peoples Representative to the Sangguniang Bayan Jaime Dugao.

Councilor  Eduardo Umaming said the endorsement of the SB to the cultural event instructed organizers the conduct of only ‘songs and dances' and non-performance  of rituals. 

Sealed in a formal agreement, said bonfire fest is organized by a travel agency, Manila-based Travel Factor; and the Sagada Genuine Guides Association (SAGGAS)  with the local government unit of Sagada to raise funds for the  Ganduyan Bucks, a baseball team  composed of  Sagada  athletes who shall be joining the Philippine series come April  2015.

Organizers programmed  December 27 as music night and December 28 as the cultural event.

In said petition, elders Polat Busaing and Guitilen Capuyan forwarded that playing of gongs is prohibited during the scheduled event as gong playing ends after the December wedding celebrations.

Petition of nearly 200 residents of barangays Dagdag and Demang and in a joint barangay assembly demanded that the event be cancelled as it has not taken the consent of the people.

Barangay secretary Ceasar Soliba said there is no permit issued by Dagdag officials for the use of the Tangeb grounds.

Kim Ledesma, administrator of St Mary’s School said endorsements from barangay officials have not been secured by organizers; and besides the school does not allow the staging of the event in the school grounds due to the possibility of alcohol consumption.

Former SMS principal Evangeline Aguilan further said it is the policy of the school to stage cultural events only for educational purposes within any part of the school site.

Priest in charge Constancio Naoy of the Church of  St Mary the Virgin located within the Mission lot covering the school site commented that he received notice for the first night event only.

Celia Baldo, resident of and married to an iSagada said one major issue is the planning of groups outside of Sagada on events that happen and concern the town. 

Manila-based Travel Factor hired four Manila-based music bands who shall be performing during the bonfire fest  with tickets costing P350 and P250 each and tickets sold by the travel agency in Manila.

The  P350 ticket sales are designed to be given to Ganduyan athletes in support to their uniforms, equipment and expense while on Philippine Series games next year; and the P250 ticket sales for SAGGAS who shall be providing "free flowing coffee and wines" during the second night.  

Earlier before the opposition it was learned that  Ganduyan Bucks shall not get all of the P350 ticket proceeds as Ganduyan shall be handling the transportation of the music groups from Manila and their food while  in Sagada.

in said meeting at the municipal hall, Travel Factor representative and SAGGAS member Jurie Yodong said that  Ganduyan Bucks shall be getting all of the P350 ticket sales.

Though Aguilan commented that even without the conduct of the bonfire fund raising, Sagada has been supporting Ganduyan Bucks every year. 

Travel Factor markets the event in four packages- all-in package costing P4,300 covering two nights accommodation, bonfire pass, and transportation to and from Manila to Sagada and vice versa.

Other packages with activities including cave spelunking costing P4,950 to P5,400 per person are arranged in three inns-Churyaa, Gecko and Igorot Inn- as found in the. website of the travel agency.

A thousand persons are expected to join the bonfire-concert with some 500 tickets already sold out it was learned.

Yodong said talent fees, accommodation cost of musicians and sound system hire/cost are handled by Travel Factor.

Sangguniang Bayan tourism  committee chairman and councilor Dave Gulian said a municipal ordinance on the making intends to regulate travel tours and activities including cultural events conducted in Sagada. 

Meantime, business goes on as usual in this tourist town. Hotels and inns are booked during the yuletide season, restaurants are in full swing including souvenir shops and tourist guides are in demand during this heavy tourist arrival season come every December. This, as another issue posed in the use of  Tangeb grounds for the bonfire fest is that the site is a parking space during heavy tourist arrivals.

Very recently, it was learned from SAGGAS  that mayor Eduardo Latawan consented on the use of his lot for the bonfire venue near the road at sitio Mabbay located some two kilometers away from Tangeb.

Now on its 6th celebration, the bonfire activity held every December 28 solely organized by SAGGAS  then collected minimal fee for meals of participants and the event held with gong playing in mountain sites.