Sagada to celebrate Etag Fest; caretaker-solon is guest speaker

By Gina Dizon  

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE - Sagada shall be celebrating this year’s Etag Festival on February 1-4 with concerts, contests, games, cultural events and caretaker-congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang as the speaker.

The celebration of the yearly town event has consistently included concerts now also with the conduct of a solidarity concert on the night of the 4rth of February. An autonomy concert shall be seen on the night of February 2. Also on the same day and evening of February 2 is a concert among Sagada-based bands and another concert by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Band on the evening of February 1.

A musical contest among children and youth shall be the Kantan di Ungung-an and Battle of the Bands on February 2; Miss Teen Sagada and Little Ms Sagada on February 1. Other competitions are ground demonstrations of high school students aside from the quiz show and quiz Bee.

The Etag Festival was first celebrated in 2011 officially with a Sangguniang Bayan ordinance. Though the celebration of the annual town fiesta on the same month of the year had been celebrated years ago.  

Now on its 8th celebration, the  Etag Festival  is observed with the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary and presentation of Jesus Christ in the temple by the Church of St Mary the Virgin on February 2.

Mayor James Pooten in his message on the festival said that “the activity excites us thereby creating every year of a distinct character of its own, year after year.”

A major distinction of the event now is its attention to environment-oriented events.

Awards shall be handed to the cleanest and greenest barangay, and cleanest and greenest school with the best up cycled products from recyclable residual materials; and on slogan making contest on waste management.

 Also, a contest on brain and arts shall focus in disaster and risk reduction.  

Traditional events are the civic parade, cultural presentations by barangay and school delegates and ball games participated by schools and invited athletes.

The celebration of the event focusing on the theme, “Lagsak ya panagyaman di entako madagupan, pammati ya kultura di entako ma es-esaan, paggawisan di ili id Ganduyan” shall be celebrated with culture- filled events namely the street dancing, cultural presentations, indigenous games and the culminating tug-of-war.

Mangaoang said, “Let this festival and religious feasts be a reminder for us to keep our culture alive and make our faith in God stronger as we continue sustaining what have been passed on to us by our great forebears.”

Piolo Pascual celebrates birthday in Sagada, donates stage roofing to school

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE – In time with the celebration of his 41^st birthday, actor Piolo Pascual with students, parents and teachers of Sagada Central School (SCS) and government officials inaugurated the installed stage roofing of the school January 12 this year.

Piolo in his message said he wanted to share his blessings to Sagada.

The actor donned with the cultural G- String or ‘wa-nes’ by Patay Poblacion barangay chairman Dennis Lopez, played gongs with the parents and students of the school joined by students of nearby Sagada National High School (SNHS).

He visited Sagada along with his family, his son Inigo and film director Joyce Bernal who was also donned with the cultural ‘tapis’. This is the third time the actor visited the tourist town since 2005. 

Communications were earlier effected by film maker Ferdinand Balanag through Gwen Gaongen-Longid, president of Parents- Teachers Association (PTA) of SCS on the construction of the P400,000 roofing efficiently done before the actor’s birthdate and visit to Sagada.

Longid said further plans of PTA are on the process with the roof covering of the quadrangle and the improvement of the stage for purposes including conferences and big assembly gatherings.

On said inauguration, Randy Awisan, executive assistant to the office of Provincial Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan said covering of the quadrangle is considered as one project to be allocated some funding.  

Sagada Mayor James Pooten Jr in his message also forwarded his support for  the improvement of the stage and the extended quadrangle roofing.

For quite some time, school pupils and audience have to bear with the heat of the sun during hours-long activities including graduation rites.   

The stage roofing had been a long term plan of the PTA of SCS, reaffirmed the past year and reaffirmed again immediately after the inauguration ceremonies.