Sagada officials impose ‘park, walk’ town law

By Francis B. Degay

SAGADA, Mountain Province –The Sangguniang Bayan of this tourist town oriented imposed the local “modified park and walk scheme ordinance and oriented local drivers on the law recently.

According to Sagada SB secretary Irenius Tauli, it has been observed in the past years that despite implementation of the municipal traffic ordinance there was still a problem in traffic congestion within the central district of Sagada.

Hence, the enactment of this Ordinance No. 03-2019.

The ordinance aims to promote physical health of visitors by walking around the designated walk area and only locally owned and operated shuttle vehicles shall be used in bringing or fetching the guests to and from the tourist sites as enumerated in the ordinance. 

Tourist sites include Echo Valley, Bokong falls, Latang Underground River, restaurants, souvenir shops, massage parlors and other similar places. 

It was also stated in the ordinance that visitors who use their vehicles to visit Sagada shall park their vehicles, including motor bikes, in the parking areas of their inns or pay parking areas.

Guests who visit tourist attractions that are outside the walk area must engage the services of accredited local transportation facilities.

Vehicles with tourist passengers who do not utilize accommodation establishments shall unload their passengers at designated points and the drivers shall park their vehicles at the pay parking areas.

The senior citizens and persons with disabilities shall be exempted in the park and walk scheme. They shall engage the shuttle services of inns they checked in or authorized local shuttle facilities. 

Authorized shuttles are those transport facilities with mayor’s permit, LTO registration papers and paid fees as required by the municipal government unit and accredited by the municipal tourism office.