“NOT a festival, NOT a tourist attraction”: Sagada residents urge respect for Panag-apoy, reject commercialization of sacred tradition

SAGADA, Mountain Province — Residents of Sagada are urging travel agencies, tour guides and tourists to stop promoting the community’s annual Panag-apoy tradition as a festival or commercial tourist attraction, stressing that the observance is a solemn way of honoring departed loved ones.

The appeal comes ahead of the November 1 and 2 observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, when families gather in cemeteries to light saeng, or fatwood, in remembrance of their deceased relatives.

Alma Louise B. Bagano reiterated the community’s position in a social media post on October 26, emphasizing that Panag-apoy is not staged for visitors and should not be treated as a public spectacle.

“The solemn celebration of the All Saints and All Souls Day in Sagada or what we call ‘Panag-apoy’ or ‘Panag-denet’ is NOT a Festival wherein tourists are invited to join,” Bagano wrote.

She urged visitors who happen to be in Sagada during the observance to give residents privacy as they perform their family rituals.

“We are NOT inviting you to join us in this solemn ceremony. If you are in Sagada during this season of the Christian calendar, please stay where you are and leave the locals to go to the cemetery to perform their rituals in silence,” she said.

“We do NOT need an audience. We do NOT need your hi-tech cameras and drones. These are our relatives whom we wish to be revered in a simple ritual, and in peace,” she added.

The post drew support from fellow residents. One travel agency criticized for promoting a two-day tour package featuring Panag-apoy later canceled the package, with its owner apologizing for the agency’s lack of knowledge about the tradition.

However, residents said some outside travel agencies, tour guide associations and tourists continue to market the observance as a festival, potentially creating the impression that it is a public performance intended for entertainment.

According to the Sagada Tourism Office, Panag-apoy, a Kankana-ey term meaning “to light a fire,” is a long-standing cultural and spiritual tradition observed during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

The ritual begins with a necrological Mass in the afternoon and the blessing of graves by a priest. Families then gather at the cemetery, particularly around the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, to light pieces of pinewood at the graves of their departed loved ones.

For the community, the fires symbolize remembrance, reverence and the continuing bond between the living and the dead.

Panag-apoy 2026 guidelines

In a joint advisory issued on October 21, the local government of Sagada and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin said the Holy Mass would begin at 3 p.m. on November 1. Church gates will be closed once the Mass starts, and attendees are asked to keep their voices low and refrain from taking photographs during the service.

Visitors may observe Panag-apoy from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. but must remain in the designated area along the road leading to the Globe Tower and be accompanied by authorized tourist guides.

Residents are instructed to light their saeng only after the priest arrives and prayers at the cemetery are completed. Fires must be kept manageable, while burning plastics and tires is strictly prohibited.

Bringing hard liquor, playing loud music, jamming and engaging in other disruptive activities will not be tolerated. Drone flights are also prohibited throughout the observance, except for authorized monitoring operations subject to applicable regulations and required permissions.

The Sagada Tourism Office urged both residents and visitors to observe Panag-apoy with humility and respect, allowing families to remember their departed loved ones in accordance with the community’s long-standing practices.

The community’s appeal highlights the importance of respecting indigenous cultural and spiritual traditions, particularly when tourism promotion risks turning a solemn act of remembrance into a commercial spectacle.