By Kris Alya
Tucked in the Cordillera mountains, Sagada is the so-called Shangri La of the North because of its breathtaking and extraordinary natural beauty. For several decades now, this town of Mountain Province in the Cordillera region has been attracting thousands of tourists not just from the archipelago but from various parts of the world. Sagada, with a subtropical highland climate and an average daily temperature range of 17-20 degrees Celsius, is a main tourist destination for those into adventure, sports, nature challenges, cultural experience or highland country living.
Tourism is one of Sagada’s main economic activities, peaking in the months from November to May. Tourists also arrive on long 3-day or 4-day holiday weekends from June to October. Tourist arrival has been gradually increasing over the last several years. In 2014 it reached 64,570 and increased to 138,257 in 2015; 155,980 in 2016; 160,398 in 2017; 180,000 in 2018 but declined to 167,597 in 2019. It has generated additional revenue for the municipality, pegged at ₱5.752 million in 2017 and ₱7.591 million in 2018. This reflects a 32% hike in revenue from tourism-related activities.
Tourist fees contribute to these municipal earnings. Upon arrival a tourist is required to register at the Sagada Tourism Office and pay an environmental fee of ₱50.00, the receipt of which is presented upon entry to certain sites. Other costs are entrance fee to a site, transportation and a tourist guide fee, which depends on the site to be visited and number of persons in a tour group. There are no fixed schedules for site visitation, but for those with limited time arrangements can be made to maximize visits to various sites. Tour guides are required in visiting the sites.
With Sagada’s rise as a tourist destination, many residents are engaged in tourism-related activities such as tour guiding and the hospitality industry including lodging or accommodation, food and beverages services, recreation and transportation (travel-oriented businesses). Businesses in Sagada are community-controlled. Everything one needs from accommodation to grub to tours are run by the locals and outsiders are not allowed to open business establishments in the town. Tourism has contributed to increase in sales, profits, jobs, tax revenues, and income of small scale businesses like weaving and handicraft industry, sari-sari stores, coffee production, souvenir shops, pottery, and many others.
Suspended
The tourism industry however has been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Last February 13, Executive Order 7-20 signed by Sagada Mayor James Pooten suspended tourism-related activities temporarily in response to growing concern over the coronavirus outbreak and with the World Health Organization declaration of a world health emergency. A week later on February 21, Mayor Pooten signed Executive Order 10-20, which lifted the suspension and allowed tourists to enjoy tourism activities except for spelunking and sunrise viewing. Some sites that were opened included the adventure trail, Bomod-ok Falls, Mount Ampacao and Pongas Falls. Spelunking and sunrise viewing were not allowed to avoid close contact in crowds and cold temperatures in which the virus can easily spread.
The second suspension on tourism activities was made effective on March 11 with issuance of Executive Order 14-20. The suspension included crowd-drawing activities except gatherings of individuals in the conduct of weddings and wakes provided that precautionary measures were strictly observed.
On March 17, the Luzon-wide lockdown was declared by the national government. This has paralyzed local livelihoods and economic activities. The most direct impacts are in the primary tourism sector – an estimated 900 tour guides, 150 homestay owners, 50 souvenir shop owners, restaurants and coffee shops owners, transportation, and even retail trade totaling to around 2000.
Closed to tourists: Sagada underground river, hanging coffins
Agriculture as alternative
Even before the pandemic, Sagada locals which included several tourism service providers engaged in agriculture especially during times when tourist arrivals were at a minimum. With the health crisis paralyzing the tourism industry, many locals have turned to it and other economic activities as their current source of living. With no tourist arrivals, most tourism service providers have planted crops such as vegetables, coffee, corn, peanuts, legumes, and other crops. Others worked in their rice fields or raised animals like chicken and swine.
Farming: antidote to tourism loss
Among those who has turned to farming is a souvenir shop employee. The souvenir shop where she had worked for at least three years closed down like other economic activities put on freeze. With the unexpected lockdown, she became anxious about how to earn a living. Even after the municipality was put under Modified General Community Quarantine, the souvenir shop did not open since there were no customers – the tourists. Production of souvenir items would not result in any gain or profit. The pandemic has given her a hard time in earning a living, being the breadwinner of her family. Currently she works in their uma (swidden field) and sometimes joins friends or neighbors for por dia (daily wage work). As she declared, “Ed wani ay maid maubla, men uma tako et ta wada pangalaan as makan. (Since I do not have work [at the souvenir shop], we work in our farms to have food).”
While she wants to go back to work, she still fears at the same time what could happen in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the Cordillera Region. “Ta kegtuna nan sitwasyon, maymayat ladta ay maopen nan tourism no wada vaccine di Covid-19. (Because of our current situation, it would be better to open tourism once a vaccine for Covid-19 is available).” Tourism activities could gradually resume to ease the economic loss of all affected economic sectors when a vaccine is already available to ensure everyone’s safety.
A tourist guide for 7 years is also now busy working in her family’s farm to be able to earn a living. Their rice paddies, she said, are not planted to rice but turned into gardens planted with crops like legumes and corn. She is also looking after their coffee plants and giving them proper care. Though she earns more in tourism, she also gives importance to farming which has been her alternative source of living before and during the lockdown. She is grateful that farming is benefiting everybody. The end of the Covid-19 pandemic is uncertain, but she is hopeful that tourism will resume next year.
Although Sagada is under modified general community quarantine, tourism remains suspended, with all tourism sites still closed and operation of accommodation establishments and tour guide engagement suspended. A resolution, which include regulations temporarily governing tourism, was approved and took effect on June 1, 2020. The municipality should prioritize the people’s safety first and should resume tourism only when this is assured, without risking lives.
References:
- Baldo, J. Fillone, A., and Nicanor, R. Characterizing Tourism Accessibility of Sagada, Mountain Province and Banaue, Ifugao Philippines. <https//www. researchgate.net>.
- Saley, Juliet. (2018). French national top foreign visitors in Sagada. <https://pia.gov.ph>.
- Ayalin, Adrian. (2019). Sagada local officials told to improve tourist registration fee collection. <https://news.abs-cbn.com>.
- Cimatu, Frank. (2020). Sagada suspends eco-tourism activities due to coronavirus threat. <https://www.rappler.com>.
- Tabios, Hanah. (2020). Suspension order on Sagada eco-tourism activities. <https://news.mb.com.ph>
- Tuquero, Loreben. (2020). What could happen under a cronavirus lockdown? https://www.rappler.com
- Dizon, Gina. (2020). Sagada turns to gardening from tourism due to Covid. <https://northphiltimes.blogspot.com>