Bontoc, Sagada execs claim tourism sites in their towns

Blue Soil/Kaman Otek

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Officials of the adjacent municipalities of Sagada and Bontoc are both claiming popular sites frequented by tourists particularly Blue Soil, Echo Valley and Marlboro saying these are part of their political and territorial jurisdictions.

Officials of the Sangguniang Bayan and Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey in their resolution asked the Office of the  Sangguniang Panlalawigan to deny approval or hold in abeyance the proposed ordinance of Sagada’s legislative body declaring certain sites as natural heritage and ecological tourism park of Sagada including Marlboro Country, Blue Soil and Echo Valley.

In their resolution Bontoc opposed the inclusion of Sagada’s heritage sites particularly  Blue Soil claiming this to be Kaman Otek located in barangay Balili, Echo Valley locally known as Kaipitan located in barangay Alab Proper, Marboro Country locally known as Kaman Baneng located in Alab Proper and  Ganga Cave in Alab Oriente.

The Sangguniang Bayan of Sagada on the other hand forwarded that Marlboro Country is located within barangay Antadao claiming this to be a former camotal land turned grazing land and named Marlboro Country due to the presence of a number of horses.

Echo Valley is located within the compound of the Anglican Church of Sagada and Ganga Cave located within the premises of sitio Doccos and sitio Baang of barangay Kilong of Sagada.

Sagada SB further forwarded that Blue Soil called Kaman Otek is located within the internal surface of southern Sagada  supported by the cadastral survey of the Department  of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); and that the word ’otek’  is originally derived from the language of the people of Sagada.

Bontoc forwarded that it enacted resolution in 2015  opposing  the cadastral survey of Sagada particularly boundaries of barangays  Suyo, Balugan, Antadao and Tetep-an adjacent four Bontoc barangays- Balili, Alab Proper, Alab Oriente, and Bontoc Ili  where Kaman Otek, Kaman Baneng and Kaipitan are found.

Bontoc officials said it forwarded its tourism development plan to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

The Office of the Provincial Governor, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), DOT, concerned barangays of Bontoc, the SP and Office of the Governor of Mountain Province and the Sangguniang Bayan and Office of the Municipal Mayor of Sagada were provided copies by Bontoc LGU for their information.

Meantime, territorial food stalls are built by persons belonging to their respective barangays selling mineral water, food, and souvenir items to tourists who trek their way to Marlboro Country and Blue Soil from sitio Batalao to sitio Gumpeng along the Balili-Suyo road.

Food stalls are found at sitio Batalao followed by a coffee shop and a shack selling Korean noodles at sitio Am ampowan of Antadao. This is followed by two other food and souvenir item stalls owned by persons from Kiltepan Sagada  before reaching Marlboro  Hill viewpoint where finds some six  food stalls selling champorado, guinataan, arozcaldo, coffee and other tems owned by Kiltepan vendors of Sagada.

Further down a broad flat land finds two vendors from Balili, Bontoc selling food and snacks  followed by another four stalls owned by southern Payag-eo and northern Fidelisan vendors who are cousins with each other. 

And at sitio Guimpeng along the  Balili-Suyo road are food stalls of the workers of a contractor who bought a lot at southern Sagada.

While boundary disputes go on, business is bullish along boundary lines at tourism sites.