Closed down Sagada spelunking sites open anew

April 8, 2017 Provincial

After a brief shut down,  Sagada’s popular spelunking sites, Sumaguing and Lumiang Caves, has been re-opened on April 6, 2017 (Thursday),  only two days after it was ordered closed at the heels of the death of a 15-year old boy who slipped and died mid-afternoon Monday.
Sagada tourism officer Robert Pagod said the local government and elders ordered the re-opening of the caves to spelunkers even as lessons are to be learned on how to mitigate such accidents from happening again.
Rael Aglolo Gambican, an 8th grader from Balugan National High School and a resident of Ambasing was playing and slipped inside the cave complex.
Sagada town police and rescue teams from tour guide associations tried but failed to save the boy’s life, who accordingly used the back entry to enter the cave and not the main access point at the Sumaguing side.
Local villagers enter the caves without guides via entry points not used by tourists.
With such a painful lesson, Pangod said, the local government and the community are meeting soonest to institute measures to avoid a repeat of the incident.
Tourist guides all over Sagada will also be gathered to agree on what steps would be taken to avoid such accidents that may imperil the tourism industry in the town.
The town experienced a tourism boom two years ago after the film “That Thing Called Tadhana” shot at a ridge in Mt. Kiltepan ushering an uncontrollable number of tourists flocking to the idyllic mountain enclave.
The tourism boom also gave local residents problems on water, lodging and traffic.
Sagada is now trying to craft a sustainable tourism plan for balancing tourists and its ill effects to villagers and environment. ABN