Sunday, January 20, 2008

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.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice pictorials ng mga saggas guide hahha oki sa posing ah.. please add more =)

zherwin said...

sya pala si gareth, i've known sa virtual tourist.com kasi sya ang takbuhan ng mga naghahanap ng info about sagada/bontoc

escape said...

very nice post. two thumbs up to this blog! thanks for promoting sagada. i'll get to see the saggas when ill visit sagada. the last one is funny.

Anonymous said...

@the Dong
Are you pertaining to Kuya Oscar the last one? He was our tour guide.. he's mabait and even his wife. I really appreciate he's being a KUYA/MANONG to me =). I even stay in their transient house kasi punuan during last May 1, na-late kasi ako ng pag-papareserve sa mga inns... hmmm well... mejo nakatipid talaga ako nung nag-stay ako sa kanila... hehe :D shhh... just a secret.. haha ^_^


You've got to see them all! =)

Anonymous said...

we are planning to go there on oct 26 to the 29th pls help us we are sooo clueless we need good accomodation n how to get there we plan to drive a van is that possible? we are 7 adults and 1 child 8 yrs old kindly email me at kitchenweb88@yahoo.com thanks il b waiting

janecajuguiran said...

hi! I found your name at the SAGGAS website and I do believe you are one of their friends. You might want to help me find a way to help them get equal touring opportunities in Sagada. After all, they are pretty much into eco conservation.

biyahengpinoy said...

hi jane, well, mukang mahirap kasi yung ganon. i can help them promote their guiding service, and i already did that. now, they are fully established guiding organization. pero about getting equal touring opportunities, i think it should be just between saggas, sega, and the municipality of sagada. pero if you have an idea on how to do it, you may email it to me.

janecajuguiran said...

yes I will. I'm trying to find out how though. But I'm sure that the DENR and the DOT will play a significant role in helping both SAGGAS and Sagada itself.

Keith Blanche said...

nalinlang kami ni Percival ah (Perry Golocan). sabi niya 27 na siya. mas bata pala siya sa amin!!! kuya pa naman tawag namin sa kanya!!!