BONTOC, Mountain Province(PIA)--The scenic town of Sagada will bring back its Etag Festival this February  to help  revive its tourism industry.

Mayor FelicitoDula said that the SagadaEtag Festival 2023 set from February 2 to 5, will be a full blast celebration after two years of recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 With the theme "Napigsa ay KulturayaPammati, Wedwedayi-GabayyaIsikan di Umili," the festival will start  on Feb.  2 with a parade and opening program, and  kickoff activities of the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ at the  Church of St. Mary the Virgin grounds.

The Agro-gastro Trade Fair  will be   opened  and the  Miss Sagada 2023 will be presented. 

February 3 will be the Literary, Arts and Music Day with activities such as the contests for elementary and high school students on  On-the-spot Essay Writing, Spoken Word Poetry, Extemporaneous Speech, Declamation, On-the-spot poster making, On-the–spot painting, solo and duet singing, day-eng and uggayam. 

There will also be dance competition for creative folk dance, ballroom dance and line dances  for  students and adults. 

The  Fusion Cookfest Challenge highlights the fusion of “etag”(locally preserved pork meateither by smoking or drying under the sun)  and homegrown lemons providing a much healthier and sumptuous indigenous snacks or dishes.

February 4  will be Cultural Day. It will kick off with the Etag Run followed by the street dancing participated by the barangays and community of Sagada and the cultural showdown and the indigenous games.

 Other events  for the day  include   solid waste management and environmental activities and a music fest  

The culminating program will be held at the community court with the disaster risk and reduction management activities on February 5.

Thru the Etag Festival, Dula hopes that the  tourism industry of Sagada would go back to normal or during the pre-pandemic times when  foreign and local tourists  flocked to the  town which  popular for its caves and other scenic spots and rich cultural heritage.

The Sangguniang Bayan in 2011  enacted the town’s festival  identifying ‘etag’ as a way of life of the people and promoting local products in Sagada.(JDP/VJLT-PIA CAR,Mt. Province)