Tourism, festivals and livelihood in Mtn Province

Photo credits from Pinoymountaineer.com

Tourism is a promising alternative livelihood for the people of Mountain Province. Let’s take a look at the tourist town of Sagada with its much visited Hanging Coffins and Sumaguing cave, Kiltepan and Marlboro sunrise, majestic Bomod-ok and Pongas Falls There are a 100 plus inns and homestays registered and unregistered, 500 plus tourist guides distributed in five guide organizations, some 50 masseurs, some 50 souvenir shops, a number of restos and cafes. A number of vegetable farmers have their produce directly bought by restaurant owners and tourists who cook their food in homestays where they are booked in. Tourism is here to stay.

So too with other town of Mountain Province with their own natural attractions make promising venues for tourists to visit.

Bontoc  with its famous Maligcong rice terraces and much visited Bontoc museum; Sadanga with its breathtaking mountain view and rice terraces; Sabangan with its panoramic  mountain  views along  the Halsema highway; Bauko  with its  much trekked Mt Polis and  historical  Spanish trail and airfield at Bagnen barangay; Tadian  too with scenic  views of  Sunnyside and a mix of lowland and  highland  culture being near Ilocos Sur; and Besao also blessed with  majestic mountain views, rice terraces and the popular Besao Sunset. 

In the eastern side of the province is Paracelis with its vast plains of corn fields, Natonin with its cool scenery of abaca planted in rolling hills and mountain sides, and so with Barlig with its famous and much hiked Amuyao peak, mossy forests, and refreshing rice terraces.

All fed with the fierce and spiritual belief of the tribes of Mountain Province to Kabunian and His glory, people in this Province amongst the five major ethnolinguistic groups celebrate their diverse culture and bountiful resources in particular festivals in conjunction with founding anniversaries. Together, they collectively celebrate in the first week of April the Lang-ay Festival when Mountain Province was legislated as one distinct Province in April 7, 1967.

Year round beginning with the Etag Festival of Sagada is held in conjunction with the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and presentation of Jesus Christ in the temple on February 2.  This is followed by the Ubaya festival of Besao last week of February to first week of March depending on the festival days when it falls on a weekend. Tadian’s Ayyoweng festival comes next first week of March and this time celebrated on the same days as Besao.  Bauko’s Begnas festival comes 2^nd week of March followed by Sabangan’s Gagayam festival on the third week of March now to be held on the fourth week of March 2019.

Lang-ay Festival comes first week of April among the 10 municipalities to celebrate April 7 when Mountain Province celebrates its founding as a separate province via RA 4695.

Comes April 25 and the Sas-alliwa festival of Natonin is held followed by   Barlig’s Fortan festival held   2nd week of June along with the celebration of the Kakarayam festival of Paracelis on June 16. Fvegnash Festival of Sadanga is observed every June 25th.  The capital town Bontoc of celebrates its Am-among Festival every September 16 with its 16 barangays.    

These festivals pose promising venues of tourism activities taking note of the bountiful and attractive natural resources and sites of the Province in its 10 municipalities along with the rich and diverse culture of each tribe and each town.

Along with this, tourism-based livelihood is a promising stake in each town to consider respective sites   and a similar culture yet diverse.

And just like Sagada where tourism generates jobs from inn keeping to resto-cafes and bakeries to souvenir shops, massage, tourist guides, transport, spring water refillers to vendors to farmers and carpenters so too with other towns in the Province.

             Let us harness our own resources for our use and livelihood, sustainably and with responsible ownership and management for now and the future generations to come.