SAGADA, Mountain Province (PIA)--The Municipality of Sagada celebrated its 10th Etag Festival from February 2 – 5, 2023 with the theme ‘Nainsigudan ay Kultura ya Pammati, Wedweday Igabay ya Isikan di Umili’.

Municipal Mayor Felecito O. Dula welcomed all guests and attendees highlighting that this year's celebration is special because it is the first celebration after two years of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Dula said that the annual Etag Festival activities highlight the culture and traditions of the i-Sagada through the various activities and events participated in and enjoyed by residents and tourists alike.

 Etag is pork meat preserved through salting, smoking over a low fire, or sun drying, and is an important part of the life of the Sagada people especially in rituals for different occasions.The Sangguniang Bayan in 2011 enacted the town’s festival identifying ‘Etag’ as a way of life of the people and promoting local products of  Sagada.

During the opening of the 10th Etag celebration, Department of Agriculture - Cordillera Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulation Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan, representing DA Regional Executive Director Cameron P. Odsey, shared that Etag represents more than just a pork meat; it represents the rich culture and tradition that has been passed down to the community of Sagada from their ancestors.

 “The Etag Festival that we are celebrating today represents more than ourselves and beyond the parades and beyond the dances that we have. This represents the gift of culture and tradition that we are able to celebrate; the gift of belongingness to the community; the gift of homecoming where there is no place like home, indeed; and the gift of connectivity. Etag also represents more than pork meat, it represents the rich culture and tradition that we have and has been passed to us by our ancestors who has been there before us,” she said

Department of Tourism Regional Director Jovita A. Ganongan also shared in her message that the celebration is much awaited not only by the tourists and visitors but the locals as well. She also highlighted that the Etag Festival “speaks of preservation of tradition that has long survived and now celebrated not just by the old but the young generation of I-sagada.”

Aside from the Cultural Day, highlights of the celebration included the launching of the Sagada tourism tagline, opening of the Agro-Gastro Trade fair, Cooking competition, Literary-Music Competition, Sports Fest, Street Dancing, Cultural Showdown and the search for Ms. Sagada 2023.