Vlogger draws flak over Sagada burial cave video

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines —  Residents of Sagada in Mountain Province have expressed outrage over a video showing a vlogger holding a human skull while inside  the town’s burial cave.

In the video, vlogger Crist Briand said the skull belonged to one of the “pagans” of the Hanging Coffins of Sagada.

A voice in the background corrected Briand, saying that the cave serves as a cemetery.

The video was posted yesterday and deleted on the same day, but not before some netizens managed to spread it online.

Residents said that Briand disrespected the dead and violated the rules at the site, which they consider sacred.

They cited signages installed at the site warning visitors against touching the remains.

Former National Commission on Indigenous Peoples official and Sagada native Michael Umaming said that barriers have been  installed in the area to prevent such incidents.

Umaming criticized Briand’s use of the term “pagan,” saying the vlogger ignored the community’s spiritual history.

It was not the first time that Briand figured in a controversy.

In January, the municipal government of Bauang in La Union declared Briand persona non grata over a separate video.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos had also issued a show-cause order against the vlogger for his remarks about halal food.

Sagada officials have yet to announce possible sanctions, but residents said the issue was not about penalties, but about respect for the dead and indigenous heritage.  –