Concerts, contests, games, cultural events and caretaker-Mountain Province congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang as the speaker.

The celebration of the yearly town event has consistently included concerts now also with the conduct of a solidarity concert on the night of the 4th of February. An autonomy concert shall be seen on the night of February 2. Also on the same day and evening of February 2 is a concert among Sagada-based bands and another concert by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Band on the evening of February 1.

A musical contest among children and youth shall be the Kantan di Ungung-an and Battle of the Bands on February 2; Miss Teen Sagada and Little Ms Sagada on February 1. Other competitions are ground demonstrations of high school students aside from the quiz show and quiz Bee.

The Etag Festival was first celebrated in 2011 officially with a Sangguniang Bayan ordinance. Though the celebration of the annual town fiesta on the same month of the year had been celebrated years ago.

Now on its 8th celebration, the Etag Festival is observed with the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary and presentation of Jesus Christ in the temple by the Church of St Mary the Virgin on February 2.

Mayor James Pooten in his message on the festival said that "the activity excites us thereby creating every year of a distinct character of its own, year after year."

A major distinction of the event now is its attention to environment-oriented events.

Awards shall be handed to the cleanest and greenest barangay, and cleanest and greenest school with the best up cycled products from recyclable residual materials; and on slogan making contest on waste management.

Also, a contest on brain and arts shall focus in disaster and risk reduction.

Traditional events are the civic parade, cultural presentations by barangay and school delegates and ball games participated by schools and invited athletes.

The celebration of the event focusing on the theme, "Lagsak ya panagyaman di entako madagupan, pammati ya kultura di entako ma es-esaan, paggawisan di ili id Ganduyan" shall be celebrated with culture- filled events namely the street dancing, cultural presentations, indigenous games and the culminating tug-of-war.

Mangaoang said, "Let this festival and religious feasts be a reminder for us to keep our culture alive and make our faith in God stronger as we continue sustaining what have been passed on to us by our great forebears."

-Information by: GINA DIZON.

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