Kalibo is the
capital of the province of
Aklan, in the
northwest of
Panay Island, Philippines.
Kalibo is
best known as the venue of the
Ati-atihan festival, normally held during the 3rd Sunday of January. The term Kalibo comes from the Aklanon word "sangka libo", ("
one thousand"), the number of native (Ati or Aeta)
people who attended the first
Catholic Mass there. After this very first Mass, a
celebration was held that was continued annually later known as the Ati-atihan festival.
From the
time of the Spanish
colonial administration until the institution of Pilipino as
the national language in 1946,
Kalibo was spelled as "Calivo".
Recognizing the aspiration of Kalibonhons to have a
Foundation Day, the Municipal Government of
Kalibo has commissioned a historical research under the auspices of the Kalibo
Council for
Culture and the Arts (KCCA) – a municipal
council created by virtue of
Executive Order No. 25, Series of 2004 issued by
Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo – to ascertain the
date when the town of Kalibo was first established.
After a
long and tedious process of unearthing the past, the research output identifies to November 3, 1571 as the historic day
Kalibo started to have a system of government as an encomienda given to
Antonio Flores.
On the basis of the historical accounts presented by Prof.
John E. Barrios and
Emmanuel A. Lerona on the research entitled “Calivo: The
Founding of a Town,” the Municipal Government of
Kalibo has enacted on October 6, 2005 Ordinance No. 2005-049 - “An Ordinance Declaring November 3, 1571 as
Foundation Day of the Municipality of Kalibo and Instituting the
celebration of Kalibo Day Every November 3.” Finally, after 434 years of existence, the Municipality of Kalibo will
celebrate for the first
time its Foundation Day.
; "Kalibo")
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