Since the sagada.gov.ph is no longer active, the contents are republished here.

The name Sagada came about when a group of Spanish soldiers coming from Besao met a man near Danum Lake who was carrying a bamboo basket for catching fish. The soldiers asked the man what the name of the next place was. Thinking they were asking what he was carrying, the man answered, “sagada.” From then on the settlement of Biag went down on Spanish record as Sagada.

The municipality is composed of nineteen barangays. These barangays are Aguid, Ambasing, Ankileng, Antadao, Ballugan, Banga-an, Dgadag, Demang, Fidelisan, Kilong, Madongo, Nacagang, Pide, Poblacion, Suyo, Taccong, Tanulong, Tetepan Norte and Tetepan Sur.

Organization

Mayor
Roberto T. Baaten (Municipal Mayor)

Accounting
Richard A. Aragon (Municipal Accountant)

Planning and Development Office
Jane K. Likigan (MPDC)

Assessor
Bonifacio Baaten (Municipal Assessor)

Treasurer
Linda K. Donato (Municipal Treasurer)

Engineer
Ciano Baldo (Municipal Engineer)

Rural Health Unit
Dr. Evelyn D. Capuyan (Municipal Health Officer)

Budget
Jackson F. Daoas (Municipal Budget Officer)

Sandigan Bayan
Francis O. Tauli (Vice Mayor)

The People

The people of Sagada are Malays and speak a language called Kankana-ey. They are generally referred to as Igorots. They are sturdy and industrious.

As of 1995, the municipality’s population was 10,354, 95% of which are Igorots of the northern Kankana-ey tribe, and 5% are from other tribes.

The Economy

The main occupation of the people is agriculture. Nearly all households have a small piece of land from which they raise corn, vegetables and fruits. Swine-raising in small scale is engaged by practically all households as additional source of income and as a source of meat supply vital to the performance of rituals.

Business is limited to sari-sari stores, buy-and-sell, weaving, lodging houses, restaurants and cafes. The famous Sagada weaving industry and the operation of lodging houses and restaurants have economically uplifted the community. The influx of tourists to the municipality has motivated residents to engage in this kind of business.

The Land

Sagada lies in a small valley at an elevation of 5,000 feet above sea level in the Cordillera mountain range of Northern Luzon, 415 km. from Manila via Baguio and 18 km. from Bontoc, which is situated in a larger valley beside the Chico river.

The municipality has two kinds of climate, the dry season and the wet season. During the dry season the warmest months when temperature can reach as high as 32 degrees Celsius are March, April and May. Months when temperature drops down to as low as 4 degrees Celsius are December, January and February.

The History

Biag, the founder of Sagada, bothered by the dangers posed by headhunting enemies and the destruction caused by wild pigs on his kaingins, left the mountains together with the families of his brothers and sisters and found themselves settling somewhere in Candon, Ilocos Sur. Wary if attempts by Spaniards to have them baptized with Spanish surnames, he left Candon together with his family and moved to a place further West. Later he started back to the mountains until he finally came to what is now Sagada. Biag brought with him a cultural background, enriched by his experiences from “Loco,” the Igorot name for the lowland coast, into this land “Golot,” the name Igorots gave this place of origin.

Deducing from the facts surrounding the story of Biag, Sagada came about in the 1830’s. This was about the time Governpr Claveria was enforcing the giving of Spanish surnames to the Filipinos. Biag instituted a ground religious festival that took place very ten years wherein the dried tails of pigs sacrificed for the occasion were kept in a basket knapsack of Biag which had been preserved to the present. The period of Biag could be established by the count of the tails.

Financial Information

Sagada is one of the municipalities whose income class improved from sixth class in July 1993 to fifth class in July 1996. Its share from the Internal Revenue Allotment shares with the corresponding percent change from 1995 to 1999 are as follows:

Tourist Destinations

1. Sumaging Cave
2. Lumiang CaveV 3. Loko-ong Crystal Cave
4. Balangagan Cave
5. Sugong Cave
6. Masferre Photographs
7. Bokong Waterfall
8. Bomod-ok (Big waterfall)