New mayor wants a ‘united and dynamic’ Sagada

Sagada Mayor James 'Payko'Pooten Jr

HAPPY WEEKEND 

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE. Newly-sworn in Mayor James Pooten Jr of this tourist town urged folks and groups here to work with him, "move with the times and realize a united and dynamic Sagada'. 

Pooten bared this during the turnover ceremony and oath taking of new officials  sworn  in by Municipal Judge Hugh Gayman here at the municipal  grounds June 30 last week.

Other officials sworn in are  vice mayor Benjamin Capuyan and municipal councilors  Joseph Aclopen, David Buyagan, Felicito Dula, Dave Gulian, Peter Tauli, Milton Tawali, Ezra Wadingan and Jerry Ticag.

In a separate interview, Pooten identified  traffic, tourism, water  and waste management as top concerns of this tourist-visited town.

Traffic

Hotel and innkeepers were briefed on traffic ordinances of the town  earlier by Pooten who were reminded to inform their guests who have cars not to park in front of their establishments, and to direct cars on designated parking spaces at the Mission compound and at private parking spaces should there be no parking space of the inn.

Though innkeepers said keeping watch over cars parking in front of their establishment is not their job, the incoming mayor said police shall be advised to take the necessary directives to keep cars off the national road.

Newly installed Police Inspector Domingo Gambican also from Sagada looks forward to the new leadership in providing the needed guidance and directives. 

Pooten said he will also be talking with drivers and operators to cooperate in observing the town’s traffic laws.

At the onset, drivers whether locals or tourists park their cars along the already narrow streets of the town causing heavy traffic gridlock  especially when busses and big trucks pass the road. This is seen especially noted  during  weekends and  tourist peak arrivals during  holidays  when cars  whether these are owned by the locals or  tourists are parked along the  road making it difficult for others  to go up or down the street.          

The current municipal traffic ordinance prohibits parking in some designated areas on the road. 

In this tourist town visited by 136,000 tourists last year from  previous five  year’s  35,000 tourist arrivals, responding to concerns on tourism is  top concern of the incoming mayor.

Tourism is the major source of livelihood of people here in this tourist town – innkeepers, restaurateurs, souvenir shop owners, weavers, store owners, transport, vendors, tourist guides and masseurs including farmers where vegetables are sourced from for food served in restaurants.

Tourism Council

Pooten sees the immediate organization of the Municipal Tourism Council to take note of concerns and issues on tourism and propose recommendations for either legislation or  implementation.

The 2007 Municipal Tourism Code names the mayor as the chairman of the municipal tourism council composed of not more than 15 members. The Council is vice chaired by the chairman on tourism committee of the  Sangguniang Bayan and members from the  church,  rural health unit or hospital, 2 from guides, 2 from transport; and  6 from the business sector where 4 represent  inns  and restos, 1 from souvenir shops, 1 from vendors  and sarisari stores and other business groups. 

Though the outgoing LGU leadership created another  municipal  tourism development council chaired by the mayor and vice chaired by the municipal vice mayor.

Though this has not taken off the ground with its  formation questioned as to its relation with the  SB-mandated tourism council chaired by the mayor and vice chaired by the chairman on tourism committee. 

Proposed amendments in the tourism code as forwarded in earlier consultations with guides and elders forward  the inclusion of the Department of  Education and Culture (DEP-ED), media, and 1 from elders  aside from the Indigenous Peoples representative (IPR).

Waste management

A twin issue of tourism is garbage. The more business establishments there are and the more tourists, the more waste is generated. 

Pooten calls for  waste segregation in homes, biodegradables composted in backyards and non-degradable waste as bottles and used slippers to be collected in a location center for re- cycling.

Currently, waste is dumped by the locl government unit at the Calvary Hill long opposed by the Church of St Mary the Virgin since 2013.  

Clamor of the public is the activation of the unfunctional Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) site at Nangonogan  currently a dump site for bottles.

Pooten sees barangay collection points for  non-degradable waste and these hauled to the MRF site for recycling.  

Water management

Lack of water is a major issue in town especially during the summer season when rains are not coming and the springs dry up.  Currently, water is  sourced from nearly a hundred separate small springs plus a few deepwells spread out in the four clustered zones of the town.

Management of  domestic water is done via clustered  distribution  where the ‘spring owner’ takes charge of  making sure that water reaches a common connection spot where  members shall then take turns in connecting their individual hoses   to their homes

The summer season with no rains coming annually  comes very tough  when water supply is a great need for tourists and domestic use such that water delivery becomes in demand.

Much so  during peak tourist days when visitors come en masse during long weekends falling on regular vacation days with the Lenten season this year having shot up to 24,000 tourist arrivals  double the town’s population of  some 11,500 persons living  in 19 barangays. 

The much hankered  long delayed Boasaw  domestic waters implemented since 2012 has not yet reached the town’s beneficiaries except at the Municipal Hall and at the  rural health unit  and some illegal connections.

With the town peoples cooperation through barangay-based water management approach. Pooten envisions  a system where waters are collected in centralized tanks and distributed to separate households.