Sagada tourism code pressed as tourist vans congest town

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA Mountain Province -- Anticipating congestion on peak days of tourism in this town, Mayor James Pooten issued executive order 37-18 informing motorists on the municipality’s traffic code of 2012 revised in 2016.

Pooten’s order stated "no parking or any mode of obstruction shall be allowed from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. of each day on all major roads of the municipality including sidewalks and other passages particularly those classified as national and provincial roads". 

This while proposed amendments were pressed on the town’s tourism code to the Sangguniang Bayan following sectoral consultations three years ago.

               Proposed provisions included those on waste and traffic management, cultural practices, registration of tourism establishments and services for inclusion in the town’s tourism code of 2007.

On proposed provision provided tourist vehicles from outside Sagada should not tour visitors while in town but only local vehicles can do so.

In a separate interview, Land and Transportation Authority provincial director Jacqueline Joven said the municipality can come up with an ordinance instructing outside cars to park their vehicles while in Sagada and prohibiting these not to bring their passengers in the town’s tourism sites.  

“Tourist cars from outside continue to bring their passengers to tourist sites in town,” Lee Killi  president of  the Sagada  Operators and Drivers Association (SODA) said.

Sagada has enough vehicles, both passenger jeepneys and vans  to bring tourists to the town’s attraction sites, Killi added.

A passenger jeepney is able to carry at least 20 passengers. One van carries 10-12 passengers.  

Said proposed amendment states “tourist vehicles outside the municipality of Sagada shall unload their passengers in the inn’s parking spaces or at designated parking spaces in town and shall stay in said parking lots for the duration of stay in Sagada until departure”.

Proposed amendments to the 2007 Revised Tourism Code remained to stay in paper since it was presented during the municipal tourism summit in 2015 and brought to the attention of the Sangguniang Bayan in 2016.  

               The first tourism ordinance was enacted in 1994 and P10 environmental fees first collected in the late 1980s on to the 90’s with only some 35,000 tourists who visited the town’s attractions.

Some 165,000 tourist arrivals were registered  in 2017 with the collection of P40.00 environmental  fees and now increased to P50.00 per tourist along with the increase of tourism issues.   

Brought to the attention of the Municipal Tourism Council in 2017, proposed amendments were transmitted to the Sangguniang Bayan in 2017 for their action. Chairman of the Sangguniang Bayan vice mayor Benjamin Capuyan said they shall look into the proposed amendments.

Said proposed amendments remain in the SB’s tourism committee chaired by Councilor Dave Gulian.

Proposed provisions were earlier discussed in previous sectoral consultations done by volunteers three years ago and results presented in a tourism summit in 2015 with the initiative of councilor Gulian.

Pressing tourism issues discussed included traffic control, waste management, registration and accreditation of tourism establishments, customary practices and cultural rest days, environmental fees, role of barangay local government units and the role of the community.

Among other amendments forwarded by guides, innkeepers, shuttle operators and elders three years ago and formulated in proposed provisions are the following:

Tour guides maintain a No Guide, No Tour Policy except when tourist is on leisurely walk in town and walk does not lead to a trek outside of the territory of the municipality and not in a sacred, risky tourist site specially needing the assistance of a guide.

Tourists shall respect the culture of the place including its tangible and intangible culture. Time and again, some tourists  exhibited acts not respectful of culture. Since the unpopular Lumyang  pre-nuptial shoots and the opening of  coffins went to tourists having selfies inside fenced perimeters of hanging coffins.

Imposition of ‘ubaya’ (community rest day) on all sacred spots to all residents and visitors of Sagada. .It is a cultural practice that no one goes to work in the fields when there is an “ubaya” or rest day imposing not going to ricefields, waterfalls, caves, watersheds, woodlands and all places located outside of residential areas including gardens and mine sites shall be observed by all residents and visitors entering the community. It has been observed however that some tourists with their respective guides visit sites during “ubaya”.

Tour agencies shall deposit 50 percent down payment cost of guests reserved in inns or homestays; and 50 percent of meal costs for reservations in restaurants/cafes.

Cancellation of any reservation shall be at least three days before any scheduled date of arrival of guests in inns or restaurants.

Any cancellation of a reservation in an inn or a restaurant  on the day of the supposed the arrival or the engagement shall not reimburse any advanced payment.

In case no payment has yet been done shall let the tour operator/manager be accountable for the expense of the reserved meals or cost of the reserved rooms.

Any cancellation done two days before the date of arrival in reservation in inns or homestays or restaurants shall subject tour operator or manager forfeiture of 20 percent of the cost of the 50 percent down payment.