Tourist Attractions
Municipal Hall
The Saguday municipal hall is also considered a tourist attraction. Located in Barangay Rizal, this Saguday landmark provides a quick peek at the town’s rich history and culture. It also allows visitors to discover the stories behind the rise of the town’s nine barangays: Cardenas, Dibul, Gamis, La Paz, Magsaysay, Rizal, Salvacion, Santo Tomas, and Tres Reyes.
Built in the 1960s when Quirino was still a sub-province of Nueva Vizcaya, the municipal hall is the only remaining “Marcos-type” building in the province. Although it has undergone a number of minor repairs, it remains in good condition and, despite its age, continues to be a functional building that houses all the services for the constituents of of Saguday.
Pagay Pagay Festival
Another Saguday tourist attraction is the Pagay-Pagay Festival. Held on April 7-9 every year, this annual festivity celebrates the industry, perseverance and zeal of the rice-producing people of Saguday. It also symbolizes their continuing efforts to realize their common aspirations of developing and sustaining Saguday as the rice granary of the province.
Restaurants
Although not as rich in natural attractions compared to Quirino’s bigger municipalities, Saguday is nevertheless not wanting in dining places that serve delicious and nourishing dishes. Here are two of the most popular – and biggest – restaurants in the town:
LJ’s Panciteria, Resto Bar and Grill
True to its name, this restaurant specializes in various kinds of pancit (dishes made from Chinese egg noodles braised with chicken and seafoods). It offers pansit Cabagan, miki guisado, bihon guisado, sotanghon guisado, sotanghon canton, miki bihon, lomi, bihon canto, and sotanghon canton. Its best-seller – batil patong – is a delicious and very filling noodle dish that is unique to the Cagayan Valley. Located in Saranay 1, Barangay Magsaysay, this restaurant stands right on the highway, next to the rice fields.
Little Chef’s Kitchenette
Located at Saguday’s public market near the municipal hall, this popular eatery is best known for its barbeque and dinakdakan (an appetizer dish from the Ilocos region made up of boiled and grilled pig parts for which the ears, liver, face and brain are the most commonly used). It also serves other authentic Ilocano delicacies such as dinengdeng and pinakbet which are available daily. Its offerings include a host of lutong bahay (home-cooked) dishes like pinapaitan, kare-kare, bopis and goto.
Souvenir Shops
A trip to Saguday is never complete without a stop at the town’s souvenir shops. These are the stores where visitors can buy the handicrafts that the town – and the province of Quirino – are known for.
Barangay Gamis, known as the Fossilized Flower Village of Saguday, is where Quirino’s internationally famous fossilized flowers are made and sold. Looking like dried flowers at first glance, these intricately made souvenir items are fashioned from alibangbang leaves that are dried, bleached and dyed in various vibrant colors.
Fossilized flower-making is an industry that was promoted and continues to be supported by the Quirino provincial government in active collaboration with national agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide Quirinians, who are mostly dependent on agriculture, with an alternative source of livelihood. Painstakingly hand-made by craftsmen, fossilized flowers are now being exported to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia.
These products are concrete proof that the creativity of Quirinians can be harnessed to create stunning works of art. By buying these souvenir items, visitors will not only be taking home beautiful decorative pieces that will last for a long time, they will also be supporting the livelihood of Saguday’s highly creative craftsmen.
Saguday Gallery
