The moment the Englishman Seth Lesser set foot on Sagada, Mountain Province in the Philippines, in 1971, he fell in love. He said that it was one of the most “magical” places he had been to. Its rich culture and traditions, a world apart from Westernized Manila, were part of its appeal to him.
A solicitor from London, U.K., Seth Lesser went to Sagada on a whim, backpacking with his American friend, with nary an idea what it was he would find. Sagada was the favorite lair of Philippine hippies at that time. It was a place where they could enjoy life at its most basic and get to know a noble people from what is known as the Cordilleras.
In the ‘70s, there weren’t many inns in Sagada like there are now. Seth Lesser had to rely on the resourcefulness of his American friend who had been to the place many times before. They stayed for months getting to know the people. On his second trip, in 1972, he only needed to call on the friends he had made on his 1971 trip to get board and lodging. Though the entire country was reeling from Martial Law imposed by then President Marcos, Sagada seemed untouched except for the stories he heard of the children of William Henry Scott, the historian, being anti-Marcos oppositionists.
In 1973, Seth Lesser personally met William Henry Scott. He had been coming to Sagada every year until his death in 1985. Mr Lesser, Jr. continues his father’s personal tradition and comes to visit Sagada every summer.
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