Kalibo

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Kalibo
Municipality
Municipality of Kalibo
From top, left to right: Aerial view of Kalibo Kalibo Cathedral Bakhawan Eco-Park Ati-Atihan Festival reveler Tigayon Hills
Flag Seal
Etymology: Calivo
Nickname(s):  Ati-Atihan Town
Map of Aklan with Kalibo highlighted
show OpenStreetMap Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Kalibo Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°42′N 122°22′E / 11.7°N 122.37°E / 11.7; 122.37Coordinates: 11°42′N 122°22′E / 11.7°N 122.37°E / 11.7; 122.37
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas
Province	Aklan
District	1st district
Founded	November 3, 1571
Barangays	16 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Emerson S. Lachica
• Vice Mayor	Cynthia C. dela Cruz
• Representative	Carlito S. Marquez
• Municipal Council	show Members Mark Ace L. Bautista Mark V. Quimpo Phillip Y. Kimpo Jr. Daisy S. Briones Buen Joy V. French Matt Aaron P. Guzman Ketchie F. Luces Augusto C. Tolentino
• Electorate	51,070 voters (2019)
Area [2]
• Total	50.75 km2 (19.59 sq mi)
Elevation	7.0 m (23.0 ft)
Highest elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Lowest elevation	−1 m (−3 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	89,127
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
• Households	17,784
Demonym(s)	Kalibonhon
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	12.49% (2015)[4]
• Revenue	₱285,722,301.33 (2016)
Service provider
• Electricity	Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5600
PSGC	060407000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)36
Climate type	tropical climate
Native languages	Aklan Hiligaynon Capiznon Tagalog
Website	www.kaliboaklan.gov.ph

Kalibo, officially the Municipality of Kalibo (Aklanon: Banwa it Kalibo; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Kalibo; Tagalog: Bayan ng Kalibo), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the Province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,127 people. ^[3]

Kalibo is located in the north-west of Panay. It is the main transportation hub for the resort island of Boracay. The municipality is known for the Ati-Atihan festival, the semi-urban and multi-awarded mangrove forest, the Bakhawan Eco-Park and piña-weaving which in February 2018, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, along with the government of Aklan, began the process of nominating Kalibo piña-weaving in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. Same nomination for inclusion in the intangible cultural heritage lists is the Ati-atihan festival of the people of Aklan.

Etymology[]

The term Kalibo comes from the Aklanon word sangkâ líbo, ("one thousand"), reputedly the number of native Ati who attended the first Catholic Mass celebrated there. Kalibo was originally spelled as Calivo.

The town of Kalibo was originally called Akean by the inhabitants, similar to the name of the river nearby. The word akean itself connotes the warbling of running waters, from the root word akae, meaning "to boil". Akae-akae means "to bubble" or "to boil" or "to make the sound of bubbling or boiling" in the Aklanon language.

The Spaniards interchanged the names Aklan and Calivo to refer to the town. Aside from these two, other names such as Calibo, Daclan, Adan, and Calibog have been used.

History[]

When Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in 1569, he discovered that the town had around 2,000 inhabitants, so he recruited 500 of them to help conquer the rest of the Philippines. On November 3, 1571, it became an encomienda and on April 22, 1581, the town became a parish under the Augustinians. During the Spanish era, Kalibo was part of Capiz.

On March 17, 1897, Filipino revolutionaries march to Kalibo but lost the battle against the Spaniards. Some of them escape to the jungle.

On March 23, 1897, the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan were executed by the Spanish colonial government for their role in the Philippine Revolution.

The town was affected by World War II being under Japanese occupation from 1941 through 1945.^{[further explanation needed]} On November 8, 1956, the province of Aklan was officially inaugurated, and Kalibo became its capital.

Conversion to cityhood[]

During the early 21st century, Aklan congressman Florencio Miraflores filed a bill seeking to convert Kalibo into a city but this has yet to succeed.

Geography[]

Kalibo is located at

11°42′N 122°22′E / 11.7°N 122.37°E / 11.7; 122.37.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 50.75 square kilometres (19.59 sq mi) ^[5] constituting 2.79% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Climate[]

Barangays[]

Kalibo is politically subdivided into 16 barangays, all classified as urban.^[7] Mobo was formerly known as Tinigao Bongoe.^[8]

Demographics[]

Population census of Kalibo

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	14,574	—
1918	13,926	−0.30%
1939	16,095	+0.69%
1948	17,842	+1.15%
1960	21,303	+1.49%
1970	30,247	+3.56%
1975	31,947	+1.10%
1980	39,894	+4.54%
1990	51,387	+2.56%
1995	58,065	+2.32%
2000	62,438	+1.57%
2007	69,700	+1.53%
2010	74,619	+2.51%
2015	80,605	+1.48%
2020	89,127	+2.00%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [10] [9] [11][12]

In the 2020 census, Kalibo had a population of 89,127. ^[3] The population density was 1,800 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,700/sq mi).

Language[]

Aklanon is the main language of Kalibo. Hiligaynon and Capiznon are also spoken as secondary languages of the municipality.

Economy[]

Kalibo's main industry is agriculture, based on rice, coconuts, Piña and Abaca. Handbags made of buri leaves are also some of Kalibo's exports.

Fabric from the town was used during the 1996 APEC Summit in the Philippines (Boracay, Malay, Aklan), when world leaders donned pineapple silk during the obligatory photograph opportunity.

Kalibo also has a meat-processing industry that produces chorizo, tocino and other similar products.

Tourism in Kalibo peaks during the Ati-Atihan Festival, celebrated every second week of January and culminating on the third Sunday.

Culture[]

Ati-Atihan Festival[]

The Ati-Atihan Festival is a festival celebrated in Kalibo every second week of January and culminating on the third Sunday of the month. Revelers smear themselves with soot or any blackening substance in order to look like an Ati.

The Ati-Atihan Festival is believed to have started in the year 1212 when Borneans, led by the ten datus, traveled on balangays and crossed the Sulu Sea to land in Panay, making it the oldest festival in the Philippines.

Ati-atihan Festival was included as one of the "World's Best Festivals" by Fest300,^[19] dubbed as the "Grand Daddy of Philippine Festivals" by the Largest Travel Guide Book Publisher in the World - Lonely Planet and recognized, as well as, holds the title of "Mother of All Philippine Festivals".^[20]

Attractions[]

Landmarks of the town include Aklan River, the main river that flows through the town and the origin of the name of the province. Within the town proper lies Freedom Shrine which commemorates World War II veterans and the Museo it Akean, a museum of Aklan's history. Outside the town lies Bakhawan Eco-Park, a 220-hectare (540-acre) mangrove reforestation project that began in 1990 in barangay New Buswang. Tigayon Hill and Caves in Barangay Tigayon, Kalibo which were burial sites during the pre-Hispanic era and a pit for Chinese artifacts which were excavated in the recent past.

List of Historical Markers Installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in Kalibo[]

Marker Title	Description	Date Issued	Location
Death site of Gen. Francisco del Castillo	Patriot Defender of Liberty and Leader of the Aklan Revolutionists	1952 (Original) 2019 (Re-created)	Pastrana Park (Poblacion)
Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan	Filipino Patriots in Kalibo, Aklan	1952	Acevedo Building (Poblacion)
Victorino Montano Mapa	Supreme Court Chief 1920 - 1921	1964	Glowmoon Hotel (Poblacion)
Birthplace of Most Reverend Gabriel Martelino Reyes, D.D	28th Archbishop of Manila, and the first native Filipino to hold that post		CAP Building (Poblacion)
Kap. Gil M. Mijares	One of the Aklanon Heroes of World War II	2006	Kalibo Police Station Building (Poblacion)
Koronel Pastor C. Martelino	One of the Aklanon Heroes of World War II	2006	Camp Pastor Martelino (New Buswang)
Macario L. Peralta, Jr.	Filipino Commander during World War II	2013	Provincial Capitol Site (Estancia)
Aklan Freedom Shrine	A National Shrine	2019	D. Maagma cor Veterans’ Avenue (Poblacion)
Memorare - 19 Martyrs of Aklan	Tableau memorial in honor of the freedom heroes	2019	Goding Ramos Park, Capitol Grounds (Estancia)

Transportation[]

Air[]

Air travel to Kalibo from Manila is about 45 minutes under four airlines: the Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, AirAsia Zest and PAL Express. These airlines increase their flights during the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival every January each year.

PAL Express also flies to Cebu and Angeles. AirAsia Philippines and SeaAir also have flights to Angeles. AirAsia has a flight to Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, Mandarin Airlines, TransAsia Airways, China Southern, China Airlines have weekly flights to and from Taipei; Philippine Airlines and Shanghai Airlines have chartered flights to and from Shanghai; Jin Air does flights to Incheon. Spirit of Manila has its chartered flight to Kalibo from its regional destinations. Zest Air has flights to Seoul, Busan, Shanghai, Taipei, Beijing, and Chengdu. Philippine Airlines has flights to Hong Kong and Seoul.

Kalibo is the major hub for/to Boracay. The Kalibo International Airport is about ten minutes away from Poblacion Kalibo main plaza (Pastrana Park).

Sea[]

Kalibo has four ports near the town. The New Washington port and the Dumaguit port are 20 minutes away from Kalibo. Batan port is accessible via Dumaguit and Altavas while the Malay port is approximately two hours. Travel time from Manila to Aklan is 14 to 18 hours through sea travel.

The Caticlan Jetty Port is part of the Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) Strong Republic Nautical Highway that connects Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and it passes through Kalibo to Capiz or Romblon. There is a jetty port in barangay Pook of Kalibo.

Land[]

Public transportation around the town is by tricycle, taxi, multicab and jeepneys.

Kalibo is 158 kilometres (98 mi) from Iloilo City, 86 kilometres (53 mi) from Roxas City, and 182 kilometres (113 mi) from San Jose, Antique. Land travel from Iloilo City to Kalibo takes approximately three hours, one and a half hours from Roxas City, and four hours from San Jose, Antique. All are accessible by bus and minivans. Trips to Caticlan range from 70 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the mode of transportation.

Public transport[]

The tricycle dominates the streets in Kalibo and is the main form of public transport. The town has its own version of the design of its tricycle that can accommodate up to 8 passengers. The design was also adopted in the rest of Aklan and some parts of northern Antique. There are about 3,000 tricycles-for-hire that are registered with Sangguniang Bayan-issued franchises operating within the 16 barangays of the Municipality of Kalibo and are distributed in accordance with their following approved routes or zones of operation:

Route No.	Color code		Coverage	Terminal
1	Green		Osmena Avenue Estancia Tinigao Mobo Tigayon Linabuan Norte	Kalibo Public Market
2	Blue		New Buswang Old Buswang Bakhaw Sur Bakhaw Norte Bakawan Eco-Park	RC Supermart; Gaisano (to Andagao)
3	Orange		Cardinal Sin Avenue Andagao Caano Pook Kalibo International Airport Nalook Mabilo (Kalibo) Briones	Allen's Mart / Our Own Little Ways Bakeshop (for Andagao Drivers).
4	White &	Purple	Poblacion Kalibo Capitol Site BLISS Site ASU Roxas Ave. Extension	None
Note: All the terminals are along Toting Reyes Street (except those bound for Andagao). The Municipality currently has plans of issuing Night-Trycycle franchises for evening public commuters

Sister cities[]

Kalibo has one official sister city:

• Juneau, Alaska, United States (2014)^[21]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kalibo.

• Kalibo travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Kalibo Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Balancing Paradise and Pandemonium: Philippine Encounters with the rest of the World - History of Panay, Capiz, Aklan and Boracay