meet the men of saggas

from left to right: oscar, jeff, perry, lester, ben, john, gareth, and steve

it's time to meet the men of saggas (sagada genuine guides association). they've been around for almost a year, founded by john magwilang in 2007, now headed by gareth likigan. they're all residents of sagada, mountain province. they're tough and highly-trained, yet the friendliest guys from the north. they've helped me with some of my projects in sagada, and the latest was my sumaguing cave video. i've made their profiles so you'd get to know more about them.

gareth likigan, 23 years old, saggas president, a leader, a dictator (based on his own opinion). he was the personal advisor of the former saggas president, john magwilang. he was later elected to be the group's leader after john left for taiwan. his hobbies are cave exploration, football, and volleyball. he is very knowledgeable about sagada, and its geography. a great friend.  very honorable.

steve solang is the father of the group. he is 46 years but still manages to stay fit. he is a volleyball fanatic. he is also a gardener in sagada. a soft-spoken, you might be surprised to know that he is the kagawad in dagdag, sagada. he loves sagada so much that he tells all the tourists not to leave anything inside the cave, just footprints. i really loved his humor. this guy is crazy, never a dull moment.

john justo likes to mountain hike. he is a natural athlete and loves to play baseball. he is a local from ambasing, sagada. what you see is what you get. do not under estimate him with his boyish looks. he is a very good guide and also a reliable one. his brother joven justo is also a potential sagada guide. john says, "if others can do it, why can't i?" he was born on the 13th of january, 1984.

benjamin calpi, also known as ben is a very athletic guy. he plays basketball and baseball. he also likes to mountain hike. he was also born on 1986, which is the year of the tiger, in the chinese calendar. living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect. that's what he is. his favorite sayings are, "come let's share with the glory of the lord," and also " no guts, no glory." he is 21 years old.

lester tom tao-ey likes trekking, target-shooting, and reading books. don't let his bad boy looks fool you because underneath it all is a very smart person. he has these history books about sagada and the igorots and he had read all of them. mister bookworm was born on the 2nd of december, 1986. his message to the tourists: "come and visit sagada, our shangri-la."

perry golocan is a 22-year old sagada guide, born on the 4th of july, 1985. he is known for always wearing an old-school leather jacket and a cap. his favorite past time is playing baseball. perry is a very friendly guide that can rock your world. he assures you that you and your valuables are secured when with him. he is a very religious and warm-hearted person.

jeff baniaga was born on the 20th of may, 1986. his parents are joseph and katrina daoas, owners of the lemon pie house, only a 15-minute walk from brgy. poblacion, the town proper. he loves to play football. he believes that first impressions last. with his great personality and masculine igorot features, many thinks that he is the total sagadian heartthrob.

oscar magwilang is local resident from brgy. demang, sagada, mountain province. he is the younger brother of the saggas founder, john magwilang. oscar believes that for most tourists, sagada is a home away from home. oscar is a kind of shy but shows some good humor just to break the ice. he spends time in the rice field planting rice when he is not guiding.

these are just some of the members of sagada genuine guides association. if you would like to know more about their group and their guiding rates and other services, you can visit their blog by clicking here. email them at sagadagenuineguides@gmail.com for other inquiries.