Sun Sea Sand in Sagay

Approximately 82 kilometers north of Bacolod the capital of the Province of Negros Occidental, on a warm sunny morning i traveled two hours to the north to take part in the celebration of the 18^th Sinigayan Festival in Sagay.

First stop was the Taliambong Food Festival Village where you find an array of fresh seafood from blue crabs, fishes, shell fish such as sa-ang, wasay-wasay, squid, oysters, and my favorite sikad sikad cooked uniquely Sagay style. When you get to places like this, you have to surrender to such temptation, just don't forget to bring your first aid kit of anti-allergy tablets and if you have maintenance for high blood pressure be sure to take this before you feast on all the seafood you see.

 

At the public plaza is the imposing steam locomotive also known as the legendary siete, an iron dinosaur which carried logs and sugarcane in the early 1900's in Sagay. It is also in the plaza facing the main highway, where we visited two other villages such as the Duag-Sagay Arts and Culture showcasing paintings and recycled crafts by local and promising artists'.  For those interested in good finds from the 25 Barangays in the city, the Bugay-Sagay Agro Aqua Festival Village had a variety of handicrafts, root crops, vegetables, dried fish and other fish products which sold like hot cake. I chanced upon a dining set made of used tires, and in one of the booths, an array of wooden statues made out of the 'santol tree' done by a former diver turned carver manong Eusebio. 

Sagay is rich in marine resources with 32,000 hectares of marine reserve. They have community based tourism projects like Suyac Island Mangrove Eco-Park which  can accommodate day visitors and is best visited on a high tide for paddle tours and environmental awareness activities. For nature lovers, the Carbin Reef at Sagay Marine Reserve is another place to visit, a sand bar made of coral rubbles, with crystal clear waters for swimming and snorkeling. There are certain fees to prepare such as terminal fees, entrance fee, tents or sheds/ cottage and pump boats that are available. They have boats good for 10 persons or 15 with the Sagay Island Pump boat Operators Cooperative. All boats are equipped with life vests. For bookings, you may contact Sagay City Information & Tourism Office at 043-488-0649 or email @ sagaycityinfo@yahoo.com .

 

Coming to Sagay is like a smorgasbord for the senses, as you feel the heat, smell and taste the mouthwatering seafoods, hear the Kahoneros play the Sinigayan beat and you get to see the Sinigayan mardigras dance with more than 50 dancers per tribe in a competition, each dancer in their colorful costumes and sparkling headdresses, hand props and accessories from sigay /sea shells, some with body painting in patterns of a sea shell or other marine creatures. Each tribe had a mardigras king and queen, prizes were awarded for endurance, best costume, merriest tribe, and best in choreography with cash prizes and trophy.

Environmental protection is the advocacy of Sagaynons. Always remember, when in Sagay, take nothing but pictures and a pack of squid rings or a bottle of fresh milk, leave nothing but footprints and kill nothing but time.