KALIBO – ‘MOTHER OF ALL PHILIPPINE FESTIVALS’

The information on the issue on Kalibo and its history was provided by the Planning Deprtment headed by Mr. Edgardo Gerardo.

Very interesting reading on how and what was Kalibo THEN.
(According to the Historical Research entitled “Calivo: The Founding of Town” by J.E. Barrios and E.A. Lerona)

The town of Kalibo is the capital of the province of Aklan, one of the four provinces comprising the island of Panay, the sixth largest island in the Philippines. Aklan is a relatively new province in the Philippine atlas.

The province of Aklan is bounded on the West by Antique, on the south by Capiz, on the northwest by the Sulu Sea, and on the east by Sibuyan Sea. It has a total land area of 192,190 hectares with 17 towns and 317 barangays.

In the middle of Spanish rule, Aklan together with other towns, were fused to comprise the province of Capiz. On May 31, 1837, Capiz was declared to be a political-military province. In 1956, Aklan was itself proclaimed by the Republic of the Philippines by virtue of Republic Act No. 1414,) signed by President Ramon Magsaysay on April 25, 1956.5 Seven months later, on November 8, 1956, the province was officially inaugurated and the municipality of Kalibo was made its capital. From the time of arrival of the Spaniards to Aklan in 1569 to the early 1600s, the names Aklan and Calivo were used interchangeably to refer to the town. Aside from these, however, several other names and/or spellings, such as Calibo, Daclan, Adan, and Calibog have been used.