Missing Tour Guide In Sagada Found Dead By Rescuers Inside Victoria Cave In Ankileng

The lifeless body of a 23-year-old local tourist guide in Sagada was finally found by rescuers nearly two days after he was swept away by rushing waters inside a still-being-explored cave in said town. The young man has been identified as Roderick Malecdan. According to the Mountain Province Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Malecdan was spotted sandwiched between rocks in a submerged portion of the cave.

Members of the Philippine Navy sent by the Office of Civil Defense Cordillera were tasked in extracting the body from inside the cave.

Based on reports coming from the town, Malecdan, five other guides, and a lady friend entered Victoria Cave to explore it since it's being eyed as an additional tourist attraction. They entered the cave between 9:30 and 10:00 am on Sunday. An early downpour caused the water levels inside the cave to rise quickly. Except for Malecdan, everyone either made it out alive or were rescued by responders.

Rescuers heading towards the entrance of Victoria Cave. Image credit: DRRMO - Mt. Province

All caves in the town were immediately closed by the local government unit on Monday so that search and rescue teams can more efficiently scour the area for the missing guide.

According to the authorities, the Sagada Tourism Office wasn't aware of the group's expedition inside Victoria Cave.

Sagada Caves Reopened For Spelunkers And Tourists After Brief Shutdown

The popular Lumiang and Sumaguing caves in the town of Sagada in Mt. Province have been reopened for tourists and spelunkers. It can be recalled that the caves were shut down for two days following the death of a local teenager in one of the caves.

Rael Gambican, a student at the Balugan National High School died when he fell while playing inside one of the caves. According to the Sagada police, the 15-year old boy used a back entry not the main entrance to access the cave.

Robert Pangod, the town's tourism officer, said that the local government ordered the reopening of the caves after much deliberation. In light of the accident, the local government and the townspeople will be meeting soon to discuss what needs to be done to avoid further accidents inside the caves.

Tourist guides are also scheduled to meet and deliberate on issues and measures that relate to the proper management of the caves.

Tourists are always briefed on safety by trained guides before they enter the caves. Locals, on the other hand, sometimes enter the caves without guides and using other access points.

Photo credit: Ivan Rudez via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

3-Days/2-Nights Art And Music Fair To Be Held In Sagada This Coming April

Local organizers in Sagada, in cooperation with the Henry V. Moran Foundation and alumni of the St. Mary's School, are in the thick of polishing the details of an art and music fair to be held at the highland town from April 28 to 30. The event is offering three days and two nights of activities that revolve around art and music. Visual artists, musicians, and bands will be invited to participate. The fair is the first of its kind to be held in the tourist town.

The organizers are yet to release the lineup of musicians and visual artists who will be involved in the fair. However, they say that participants can expect to see anywhere between ten to twenty artists and bands in the duration of the three-day event. Early bird tickets cost 2,000 pesos each. This amount will be for the tickets only. It doesn't cover accommodation or your expenses during your stay in town.

The planned fair has the trappings of a good event. You get to enjoy art and music while basking in Sagada's natural wonders. It's also commendable that the organizers are enforcing a "no bed, no ticket" policy. This ensures that the town doesn't get choked by an influx of people who have nowhere to stay. To make the "no bed, no ticket" policy work, the organizers partnered with over two dozen inns and lodges in Sagada. And that's a good thing.

For your queries and for additional information about the Sagada Art and Music Fair, you may visit the event's official Faebook page here.

Photo credit: caitriana via Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Beware: The Sagada Music Festival Is A Scam (Plus Pointers In Spotting Online Scams)

The internet has made it a lot easier for con men to practice their parasitic craft. Recent victims of these leeches include people who may have paid thousands of pesos for a non-existing musical event that's to be held in the tourist town of Sagada in Mt. Province. Several weeks ago, word got out, mostly through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, that the town will serve as host to a music festival dubbed the Sagada Music Festival on October 22 and 23.

Promotional materials for the event promised performances from nearly a dozen Filipino bands including Up Dharma Down and Silent Sanctuary. For people looking for a quick getaway, the offer is almost irresistible. Who would pass on the opportunity to participate in a multi-band music festival while immersed in the magic of Sagada?

Well. As of today, everything points to the inevitable conclusion that the event is a scam. Someone somewhere is trying to make a quick buck. It's good that the scam has been detected this early. Still, there's the possibility that there are people who already registered and forwarded their payments for tickets. The supposed event is just one week away and the organizers are nowhere to be found. They scampered. Like the thieving rats that they are. The event page has been taken down. According to The Ransom Collective which is one of the bands listed in the lineup of performing artists, the organizers have been operating under fictitious names and email accounts. The link to the registration form through Google Docs is also gone.

Some of the bands in the lineup also released statements either denying involvement or that they are still waiting confirmation that the event will push through. Maybe we should give the organizers the benefit of the doubt here but the fact that they've taken down the event page is proof enough that they are not at all operating in good faith.

As I mentioned earlier, the event is just a week away. At this point, everything should already be in place. The equipment should already be on their way to Sagada. All the bands involved should've been informed that the event will push through so that they can finalize their schedules. The local government should have been informed. Word has it that people in Sagada don't even know that they are hosting a music festival.

Anyway, to summarize things, here are the red flags why this is a scam:
1) The organizers took down the event page. There's only one reason why they would do this. That is to cover their scam.
2) The tickets are low considering what they are supposed to cover. An early bird ticket costs 2,500 while a regular ticket costs 5,000. At first glance, these prices seem expensive. However, a ticket covers round-trip transportation, three days and two nights hotel accommodation, breakfast for three days, and a festival poster. Are the organizers planning to lose money?
3) The organizers have been operating under fictitious names and email accounts. It's like talking to anonymous people.
4) The organizers claim that they are abroad. Apparently, they are making this as an excuse for not being in contact with the bands. Do these people know how to use Facebook? They can be in the middle of a volcano somewhere in Europe. That isn't an excuse to not stay in contact with the bands.
5) The municipality of Sagada isn't aware of the festival. What are the organizers planning to do? Just drive to Sagada a day before the event, set up equipment, and not expect the town council to question what the hell they are doing?
6) The organizers used a Google Doc for registration instructing registrants to pay via LBC and Cebuana Lhuillier. Fishy.

Note: Shoutout to everyone who flexed their muscles to expose this scam - Gareth Likigan, Carlos Tanada, Up Dharma Down, Silent Sanctuary, Sud, The Random Collective, and netizens.

British Tourist In Sagada Injured After Falling Inside Sumaguing Cave

A piece of advice for tourists planning on journeying into the bowels of any of the popular caves in Sagada: watch your every step. A single misstep can lead to a broken bone, a dislocated ankle, or worse drowning.

Last Monday, a British tourist identified by the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) as a certain Derrick Walter White lost his footing inside Sumaguing cave and fell. The 57-year-old tourist incurred injuries because of the incident. He was rescued and then brought to the St. Theodore's Hospital for treatment. His injuries were serious enough to merit his transfer for further treatment at the Luis Hora Hospital in Abatan, Bauko.

In light of the incident, tourists venturing into the caves of Sagada are being advised to be extra careful when navigating through the caves. It can be recalled that more than a year ago, a female tourist inside Sumaguing cave fell and drowned after being carried away by the current.

Needless to say, watch where your foot goes whenever you're inside the caves. And always pay attention to what the guides are saying especially those pertaining to safety precautions.

A section of the popular Sumaguing Cave. Photo by Neal Johnson via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Direct Bus Trips From Manila To Sagada Now Available Via Coda Lines For 760 Pesos

It used to be that tourists coming from Manila will have to endure at least two bus-hops before they get to the town of Sagada in Mt. Province. Whether they are going up via Ifugao or Baguio City, they will have to transfer buses at least twice.

But with the recent launching of a bus route that will take tourists from Manila to Sagada in just one ride, travelers will now hop into a bus just once. No more wrestling heavy backpacks from one bus to another.

Coda Lines, a newly-established bus corporation just started their operations today (March 12) and their routes include daily direct rides from Manila to Sagada and Sagada to Manila. The single trip will cost a passenger Php760. For the Manila-Sagada trip, the bus leaves at 8:00 PM. For the Sagada-Manila trip, the bus leaves at 2:30 PM.

Coda Lines also offers routes from Manila to key locations in the Cordillera region like Bontoc, Kiangan, and Banaue. There's also a route for the town of Maddela in Quirino province. For the full information on the trips and schedules, click here.

The Coda Lines terminal in Manila is located at Lot 6, Block 2634 along Legarda Street below LRT Legarda, Metro Manila. The bus company also accepts online reservations via their official website.

The bus lines' terminals in other provinces are as follows:
Ifugao:
*KMS Compound, Pico, Tuplac, Kiangan, Ifugao
*Poblacion, Banaue, Ifugao (near the Tourists Information Center)
Baguio City:
*KMS Terminal, Chanum Street, Otek Street (near the Rizal Monument)
Mt. Province:
*Eyeb, Poblacion, Bontoc (near MPGCHS: Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School)
*Poblacion, Sagada
Maddela, Quirino
*Poblacion, Maddela

Small Scale Miner In Sagada, Mt. Province Dies After Getting Hit By A Dynamite Explosion

A small scale miner in the tourist town of Sagada died last week after a tragic accident inside a mine tunnel in barangay Fidelisan. According to a report by Bombo Radyo Baguio correspondent Edwin Dacanay, the victim who has been identified as Bul-ing Umaybas fell into the mine tunnel just when the dynamite that he and his companions lighted exploded.

Umaybas is 40 years old and a resident of barangay Aguid, also in Sagada. According to the report, Umaybas and fellow miners set up dynamites inside their tunnel. After lighting the fuse, they trooped out of the tunnel. Umaybas was supposed to be the last man heading to the exit. While rushing to get out of the tunnel, Umaybas lost his footing on the ladder and fell back into the tunnel. Just as he fell, the dynamites exploded inside. Umaybas reportedly perished on the spot. The body of Umaybas was brought to his home in Aguid.

Small scale miners use dynamites to dig deeper into the earth to look for ore. Aside from the dangers of the practice, there are also laws in the Philippines that regulate the usage of dynamites in mining. Most private mines in Sagada operate without licenses from the local government.

The tourist town of Sagada. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The small scale mining industry in Sagada grew in recent years. A lot of factors contributed to this steady growth of private mines in the town. Among these are the absence of other sources of income, the rising prices of gold, and the saturation in the mining industry in the nearby province of Benguet. To avoid the thousands of small scale miners that already operate within Benguet mining towns, locals in Sagada started looking for gold in places that are much closer to home.

A number of Sagada locals decry the damage to the environment that some of the mining tunnels had caused. An example is the huge scar on the side of a mountain just below barangay Aguid.

Rresidents of other towns in Mt. Province like Bontoc, Besao and Tadian also engage in small scale mining.

Related Articles:
1) Policeman In Sagada Ambushed By Suspected Members Of The New Peoples Army Or NPA
2) Two Soldiers In Sagada Passed Away After An Attack By The New Peoples Army

Ambush Of Policeman In Sagada Delays The Journey Home Of Slain SAF PO3 Noel Golocan

The remains of Police Officer 3 Noel Golocan who was one of the casualties of the recent encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao was supposed to be brought home to Sagada in February 2. However, due to an ambush incident in the tourist town involving a police officer and suspected members of the New Peoples Army (NPA), the schedule of bringing home Golocan's remains had to be delayed.

Bombo Radyo Baguio reported that Senior Police Officer 3 Wilfredo Degay of the Regional Intelligence Unit of the Police Regional Office was instructed by the Mt. Province Provincial Police Office to oversee and provide intelligence reports for the security of the convoy that will be bringing home Golocan's body to Sagada.

According to the report, SPO3 Degay and his niece were driving to Sagada and they were within the vicinity of Dugo in barangay Bangaan when they were attacked by two armed men. The police officer suffered at least four gunshot wounds on his chest. Miraculously, he survived the attack and was promptly rushed to the St. Theodore's Hospital in Sagada. He was later transferred for further medical treatment to the Bontoc General Hospital (BGH).

The remains of PO3 Golocan arriving in Bontoc, Mt. Province. Photo by B. Macliing via Facebook.

Because of the incident which happened between 10 and 11 in the morning, bringing home the remains of Golocan had to be delayed. The slain SAF cop's remains had to stay put in Bontoc, Mt. Province where it was brought. Security in Sagada had to be tightened to make sure there will be no further attacks when the convoy finally make its way into the town.

It can be recalled that thirteen Cordillerans were among those who perished in the tragic Mamasapano encounter in Maguindanao which transpired last January 25. All in all, 44 elite policemen perished in said encounter.

Update: PO3 Golocan has been brought to Sagada and buried in a cemetery there without further untoward incident.

Soldier Wounded In Sagada Ambush Dies Increasing The Fatalities To Two

The number of soldiers who died as a result of a recent ambush perpetrated by suspected communist rebels in the town of Sagada in Mt. Province has climbed to two. Private First Class (Pfc) Hansel Onnon expired due to his injuries while being treated at the Bontoc General Hospital (BGH).

Onnon died Tuesday morning, less than two days after he was wounded in the attack which occurred at sitio Pegew in barangay Tetep-an during the evening of November 30.

Killed during the attack was Private First Class Moses Ing-inga, a native of Can-eo, Bontoc. Ing-inga and Onnon were part of a military convoy composed of two vehicles. The soldiers were on their way home after conducting a 3-day Youth Leadership Summit at the Sagada National High School. They were ambushed between 10:30 and 11:00 PM.

Five other wounded soldiers are currently being treated at the Bontoc General Hospital, some with serious injuries. They've been identified as Corporal William Agpawan, Corporal Albert Faliyan, PFC Ian Mango, PFC Jimmy Appao, and PFC Nathan Focasan.

Students and teachers during the condemnation rally in Sagada. Image credit: Karen Wendy Brett

On December 1, students, teachers, and officials of the town of Sagada held an indignation rally in front of the municipal hall. Between 300 to 500 students and teachers from Sagada National High School, Antadao National High School, Bangaan National High School and St. Mary High School trooped to town to publicly denounce the ambush.

Community elders and local officials were also present during the gathering. Sagada Mayor Eduardo Latawan Jr. reiterated that his town has been declared a peace zone so it should be free from armed conflicts.

Sagada was declared a peace zone over two decades ago in 1989. This means that it should be off-limits to warfare.

Killing Of A Soldier In Sagada Publicly Denounced By Sagada Townsfolk

Students, residents, and government officials of the town of Sagada in Mt. Province held a condemnation rally today (December 1) to denounce the ambush that happened the night before.

Between 10:30 and 11:00 PM in the evening of November 30, suspected members of the New People's Army ambushed two trucks carrying government soldiers in sitio Pegew, barangay Tetep-an in said town. A soldier was killed in the attack. Six other soldiers were wounded and were brought to a hospital in the nearby town of Bontoc.

In the condemnation rally which was held in front of the Sagada Town Hall, students and residents carrying placards and banners called for peace and unity in the town. They denounced the ambush perpetrated by suspected rebels on military personnel who were on their way home after conducting a Youth Leadership Training at the Sagada National High School.

Below are photos from the rally:

Photo courtesy of Gayamen Brett.

Photo courtesy of Gayamen Brett.

Photo courtesy of Gayamen Brett.

Photo courtesy of Gayamen Brett.

Photo courtesy of Gayamen Brett.

Post by Triple J's Sagada.

Post by Gayamen Brett.

Related story: Two Former Rebels in Kalinga Were Given 45,000 and 20,000 Pesos Each by the Government After Surrendering

Soldiers Ambushed In Sagada, 1 Soldier Died While 6 Others Were Wounded

A military convoy was ambushed on Sunday night (November 30) in the tourist town of Sagada in Mt. Province. Early reports say that one soldier was killed during the attack while 6 others were injured and taken to the Bontoc General Hospital (BGH) in the capital town of Bontoc.

The soldiers were aboard two vehicles (a military truck and an Isuzo Elf ) and were traveling through sitio Pegew in barangay Tetep-an when suspected communist rebels ambushed them. The attack happened between 10:30 and 11:00 Sunday night.

According to Senior Superintendent Oliver Enmodias of the Mt. Province Provincial Police Office, the soldiers are members of the Army's 54th Infantry Battalion and they were on their way home after attending a Youth Leadership Summit at the Sagada National High School.

Google maps

One of those wounded being currently treated at the Bontoc General Hospital. Photo by Kinad Waytan.

The attackers are suspected to be members of the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Part of the Philippines (CPP).

The soldier who died from the attack has been identified as Private First Class (Pfc) Moses Ing-inga reportedly of barangay Can-eo in Bontoc. Those wounded are William Agpawan, Albert Paleyan, Nathan Cade Focasan, Jimmy Apao, Ian Mango, and Hanzel Onnon. An investigation is ongoing as to how the ambush happened. There are some who believe that the attackers were tipped with regards to the arrival and departure of the soldiers from the school.

Related news story:  Two Rebels in Kalinga Given 45,000 and 20,000 Pesos After Surrendering and Laying Down Their Arms