Seeking Baguio alternative, tourists find Sagada sunrise

Frank Cimatu

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Seeking Baguio alternative, tourists find Sagada sunrise
Robert Pangod, a Sagada tourism officer, says Sagada is accommodating more tourists this Holy Week, a likely result of the success of a film being shot in the area

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – From being the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio is turning out to be a springboard this Holy Week as more and more summer tourists go to Baguio and move onwards to Sagada and Banaue. 

Robert Pangod, the Sagada tourism officer, said they are accommodating more tourists this Holy Week. He added that fate had something to do with it.

“Ever since the movie Tadhana (That Thing Called Tadhana, a romantic comedy film starring Angelica Panganiban and JM de Guzman), we had more and more tourists coming here,” Pangod said.

According to Pangod, there were only 20,000 registered tourists in 2012; 38,000 in 2013 and 64,000 in 2014.

That Thing Called Tadhana, which had its locales in Baguio and Sagada, was shown commercially in February 2015.

“In 2015, we had an astonishing 138,000 tourists coming here. Last year, we had 156,000,” he said.

“This year, because of the relatively good weather and better roads, it could go higher,” he added.

SAGADA AND CLOUDS. Photo by Dr. Philip Del Carmen

The movie featured the starring couple having their dramatic moment during a sunrise in Kiltepan. Following the movie, there would be as many as 100 people waking up as early as 4 AM to witness what Angelica Panganiban saw in the movie.

“Some were even shouting “Ayoko na! Ang sakit-sakit!” just like Angelica,” said Pangod. “But now those shouting were being jeered by the other tourists,’ he said.

Pangod said that shouting in the area is prohibited because that part of Kiltepan is a patpatayan or a sacred tree grove where the warriors of the past would converge.

“I was there during the shooting. There was no talk that she should be shouting. I almost dropped my coffee when she did shout,” Pangod said.

“Now everybody’s doing it,” he added. – Rappler.com

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