2 Sagada Blogs finalists in 2009 Philippine Blog Awards

Kudos to two Sagada blogs for being named as finalists for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards nationwide categories. The SAGADA GENUINE GUIDES ASSOCIATION and the SAGADA LEMON PIE HOUSE were cited in the Best Travel and Best Business blog categories, respectively. The Philippine Blog Awards aims to recognize notable Filipino-owned blogs in their respective niches. The awards night were held at the PETA-PHINMA Theater in New Manila, Quezon City last October 9, 2009. Though the Sagada entries didn't get the biggest prize in their categories, I salute them for being included among the chosen few. I hope to see a Sagada blog win a category one day. Click this link for a complete list of the Philippine Blog Awards finalists.

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Sagada.ws

There's a relatively new and nice website on Sagada - and the URL uses a ".ws" domain, the Internet country code top level for "Western Samoa". I thought this strange and interesting and after doing some googling, I found out that the ".ws" domain is being marketed as "dot website". Sagada.ws is great because it is listing Sagada businesses - a first in the Internet. It has 22 in the list so far, and I hope it continues to grow. It does help to promote this website especially as it features Sagada Weaving in its front page, haha. Sagada.ws lists the Sagada Hospital website and Tom Coghill's Fasting.ws as sister sites.

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Sagada is Most Blogged

It is not a surprise that Sagada is the most blogged town in Mountain Province beating the capital town of Bontoc, and the most populous town of Bauko. What is surprising is the fact that in a recent check with Google Blog Search, Sagada has more blogs than all other towns of the Mountain Province combined.

In the Cordilleras, Sagada is second only to Baguio City which is not bad considering that the latter is the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Sagada beat all the capital towns in the Cordillera Administrative Region with regards to blogs written, including La Trinidad, Benguet. Banaue in Ifugao, home of the world famous Banaue Rice Terraces is the 3rd most blogged.

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Bloggables 002 - Of "motit", Igorot bloggers, and the Sagada Hospital website

My second list of bloggables - items in the Web that either features Sagada and the Igorots, or are works by fellow Igorots. Refer to Bloggables 001.

Photo Credit: Alamid Coffee at Squidoo

‘Motit’ excites Cordillera coffee lovers. Learn how the “motit”, Kankana-ey term for the Philippine civet cat (Paradoxurus philippinensis) is exciting coffee growers across the Cordilleras. There are lots of motits in Sagada and as a child, I’ve seen them eating coffee at our neighbors garden. They eat coffee cherries and later excrete these as feces. When cleaned and processed, Forbes magazine has described this coffee as the rarest and most expensive in the world. Read more…

Sagada Hospital Website: An anonymous commenter left a URL that pointed to the Saint Theodore’s Hospital website. This is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t even know it existed and judging from the articles, it’s just been newly set-up. It has a lot of articles on therapeutic cancer and detoxification and I might just want to read on these as my wife and I are trying to improve our diet. Lastly, it was a bonus to see familiar faces amongst the staff. I recognized Janice, the sister of a ka-barkada, and the high school teacher of my sisters. Visit SagadaHospital.com.

IGOROT BLOGGERS: Three Igorot bloggers deserve some attention – (1) Martin Polichay is an Igorot from Australia and writes on an igorot journey. (2) Vicente Sapguian previews the work of Leon Lonogan – “The Sun Sets at Sunrise: The Rise of the Agawa Tribe” in his blog, from greatman. (3) A young Igorot academic scholar in California writes on President JFK and General MacArthur’s “Igorot” comments at Allan’s Blog.

Sagada / Igorot News Briefs:

1. “President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has Igorot blood on her hands…” says an activist as the House of Representatives probe the disappearance of Cordillera People’s Alliance founding member, James Balao. Read more…
2. BusinessMirror reports that an ATM unit has been installed in Sagada. Read More…
3. The exhibit “Sagada: Mountain Reflections” is available for viewing at the Crucible Gallery, fourth floor of SM Megamall A, Mandaluyong City. Read more…
4. Singaporean adventurer and world record holder, Khoo Swee Chiow, visited Sagada and remarked “I would definitely go back and bring my family here”. Read more…

Sagada Photo-blogs:
1. My Sagada Adventure by mel
2. Sagada’s Hanging Coffins and Exotic Caves by the “Bride around the Corner”. Is the groom waiting by the corner? Hehehe…
3. Sagada: A Perfect Example of Ecotourism by fellow Sagada blogger and friend, Irene.
4. Food Tripping in Sagada by happyfoodies.com

Site Redesign: Lastly, I’m going to change the look of this site in the coming days. I appreciate your continued support and please continue to provide comments and feedback on my posts. What is a blogger without readers? Have a nice weekend!

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Sagada Guides Blog

Finally, a website for Sagada Guides. It contains guide rates, sample itineraries, and a list of possible accomodations. It is a must-see site especially for first time visitors to Sagada, or those that have not visited in years.

Lots of pictures in this blog including a cheeky one with a lad in g-string. (Click Here). I don't think it was necessary though. :-) But, point well taken.

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