Kalibo Sr. Sto. Niño
Ati-Atihan Festival –This is how the former bishop of Kalibo, Bishop Gabriel V.
Reyes, called the celebration that takes place every third Sunday of January in
Kalibo. This was the brightest move made by the bishop to end the confusion
whether Kalibonhons are celebrating the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño or not on
that particular Sunday. The celebration became too secularized and
commercialized that visitors, guests or tourists could see various posters,
flaglets and stickers promoting or advertising a product rather than a signage
or banner bearing the picture of the Sr. Sto. Niño. To re-claim the reason for
the celebration –the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño, Bishop V. Reyes met with the heads
of the local government of Kalibo and they mutually agreed to call the joint religious
and civic celebration as Kalibo Sr. Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival.
In the early 1950’s, the
oldest surviving folks of Kalibo did not mention the word “Ati-Atihan”. But
every January, there has always been a celebration in Kalibo. It was the feast
of the Sr. Sto. Niño. For the true-blooded, born and bred, Kalibonhons, the
annual January event is still the Feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño, and they call it
by no other name.
In 1963, Mayor Federico
O. Icamina inaugurated the first tribal group competition. For this, Mayor
Icamina should be commended as the Father of Kalibo Ati-Atihan; he recreated
the celebration of the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño for national as well as for
international tourist attraction, becoming a world class festival and even
dubbed as Filipino Mardi Gras. It was called “Ati-Atihan” as the term was first
used by Artemio Nabor in one of his writings referring to the celebration.
In 1975, a mass in honour
of Sr. Sto. Niño was celebrated at the Kalibo Town Plaza for the first time and
the occasion was graced by the presence of the then President Ferdinand E.
Marcos and the then first lady Imelda Marcos. It was during his incumbency,
that the President Marcos ordered the various regions of the Philippines to
come up with festivals or celebrations that could boost tourism and Kalibo’s
celebration of the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño has been institutionalized under the
name or title of Kalibo Ati-Atihan. In
the same year, Msgr. Jose Iturralde, the then parish priest of St. John the
Baptist Parish of Kalibo, Aklan wrote about the history of the Sto. Niño and
the Ate-Ate to remind Kalibonhons of the true reason for the celebration is
about the Sto. Niño or something to that effect.
In 1976, the St. John the
Baptist Parish of Kalibo in Kalibo was elevated to a Cathedral. The Roman
Catholic Diocese of Kalibo was erected and the late Bishop Juan N. Nilmar was
appointed as its first bishop. In 1984, Bishop Nilmar observed that every year
a good number of the Sto. Niño images owned by different families and
individuals joined the religious procession in the evening of the fiesta as a
crowning activity of the celebration while the miraculous Sto. Niño image of
the parish remains in the church. So, he expressed his intention to have a Sto.
Niño image big enough to stand as a visible sign during the procession that
Kalibonhons are celebrating the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño.
As the celebration has
gained much popularity due to its oldest and only un-choreographed festive
celebration of the Sto. Niño, its fame has paved the way for secularization and
commercialism. A distinction has even made between the Feast of the Sr. Sto.
Niño and the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival. The feast is referred to by some as a
Church’s celebration while the festival as a civic celebration. Individual
interpretation of the principle of separation of Church and State also adds to
the confusion whether Kalibonhons are celebrating the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño
or the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival. On one hand, the Church has emphasized the
religious significance of the celebration. On the other hand, the local
government has avoided to use its public fund, directly or indirectly, for the
use, benefit or support of the church’s celebration, as this is in consonance
with the mandate of the Constitution. Thus, the local government has faced an
insoluble dilemma of doing away with the church’s celebration of the feast of
Sr. Sto. Niño. What would be the reason for its celebration of Kalibo
Ati-Atihan Festival without the Sr. Sto. Niño?
In searching for the
reason of the celebration of Ati-Atihan (apart from the Sr. Sto. Niño
celebration), it may be observed that the presentation of the local government
of the foundation story of Ati-Atihan has evolved starting from the writings of
Nick I. Marte in 1977. Marte wrote that the first Ati-Atihan happened as a
post-harvest celebration. After him, other local writers mentioned the baptism
of 1000 inhabitants by a priest named Fray Andres De Aguirre. But the problem
is Aguirre’s name did not appear in any Augustinian records as one of the
priests who arrived early in Kalibo. During the time of Atty. Allen S. Quimpo
as a municipal mayor, he commissioned Benny Tirazona and some others to make a
compilation of the various versions of the foundation story of Ati-Atihan. Tirazona
said that most of the versions suggest that “Ati-Atihan” was already an ageless
festival before Christianity was introduced in the islands of Panay. When people
in Kalibo were Christianized, “Ati-Atihan” started to assume a religious
significance. Nevertheless, Tirazona admitted that the local government has to
have its own foundation story of Ati-Atihan separate from that of the Church’s
religious celebration for the purpose of local tourism.
As the search for a justifiable
foundation story of the celebration of Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival has continued,
the most popular version is anchored on the story of “Barter of Panay”.
However, in 1968, the Maragtas, the book which contained the story of Barter of
Panay, was classified as a book of legends rather than a historical fact by
William Henry Scott. Yet some Kalibonhons continued to endorse it as the
foundation story of the “Ati-Atihan” in Kalibo. Then recently the National
Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission on the
Culture and the Arts confirmed there was no Barter of Panay that ever happened.
Other local writers tried
to reconcile the celebration of the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival with the feast
of the Sr. Sto. Niño, quoting from the book, Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas
(1565-1615) by Gaspar de San Agustin, OSA. that in year 1569, one thousand
(1000) natives of Kalibo were baptized in mass. To celebrate the great event,
the natives and the Spaniards went around the place beating drums, singing and
dancing, shouting and greeting each other with “Viva kay Señor Santo Niño!
Viva!”
But such translation is
far from what was written in Spanish which states:
“Fue Aclan antiguamente
tan grande que el solo tuvo mil tributaries, y por esto se llama el pueblo
Calibo, que significa mil, porque el nombre de Aclan es del rio.”
In the original Spanish
text, the one thousand (1000) refers to the number of tributes (to the King of
Spain) and not to the number of baptized natives. The book is silent about the
Sto. Niño. It does not even confirm or deny the presence of any “ati” in
Kalibo.
Another popular version
speaks of the early times when Moro pirates and cutthroat marauders ruled the
sea and made their regular visits to Aklan valley to kill the men, abuse the
women and rob and loot and then take off. Aklan had suffered much from those
frequent dreadful invasions that later the men of Kalibo decided to organize a
band to defend and repulse the invaders. When the Moro marauders landed at the
shore of Buswang, the defenders were at hand to meet them in combat. During the
encounter, what surprised both the invaders and the defenders was the presence
of a person in red garb wielding a cane and attacking the Moros. The Moros
overcome by fear withdrew to their vintas
and sailed away. The defenders saw in the person who fought with them the
figure of Sr. Sto. Niño. But this version is similar to the unpublished work of
Mayor Ludovico O. Peralta entitled “The Brief History of Kalibo”. Its only
difference from the Sr. Sto. Niño version is that the victory was attributed to
St. John the Baptist. This version like all other versions that try to explain
the origin of Kalibo Ati-Atihan does not have historical records, artifacts, relics
or documents to support its claims.
However, this last version
contains a seed of truth that there were victorious warriors from Aklan. In the
work of Gaspar de San Agustin (San Agustin 1698: 531), it was said that in
January 1570, two datus from the village of Aklan, Panay and Bahay River
visited Governor Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in Panay. They requested help against
their enemies, the peoples along the coast of Mindoro, and specifically asked
for the assistance of Juan de Salcedo. Dispatched by the governor, Salcedo
proceeded to the river in Aklan together with thirty of his soldiers. Awaiting
him were both leaders as well as five hundred native warriors.
Accompanied by the local
leaders and their warriors, Salcedo and his thirty men embarked on fourteen or
fifteen native boats for the island of Mindoro. Shortly after midnight the
group reached the vicinity of Mamburao, a village on the island of Mindoro.
Salcedo and a native leader secretly moved closer to spy on the enemy’s displacement
and defense system. In the dead of night, they used the element of surprise to
attack the rich town. After the destruction, Juan de Salcedo justified his
actions by informing the leaders of the prisoners that he had not come to harm
them but to help the natives of Aklan
and Bahay who had suffered so much
under the enemy.
After the victory, Salcedo
had the leaders brought before him, and offered them peace once more with the
friendship of the Spaniards. They promised to be faithful vassals of His Majesty,
and asked him to impose the tribute they would have to pay henceforth in
recognition of their vassalage. They gave a great quantity of gold for their
ransom which, as in Mamburao, was divided among the soldiers and leaders of
Aklan and Ibahais. After Captain Juan de Salcedo entered into blood compact
with one of the leaders as a sign of a newly pacted friendship, he returned
happily and victoriously to Panay. This narrative could best serve as the
foundation story of Kalibo Ati-Atihan but the problem is it was never mentioned
if the warriors were “atis”. Thus, the attempt to have a non-religious
foundation story for Kalibo Ati-Atihan is very difficult to establish as they
all tell an event prior to the written history of Kalibo. In this way, the search
for the foundation story of the celebration of “Ati-Atihan” is not yet over.
How about the devotion to
the Sr. Sto. Niño? What is its foundation story of the celebration? In the
absence of a written record which directly addresses such a question, an answer
for this shall be based on a necessary implication that the first priest
assigned as a minister in Kalibo was an Augustinian friar named Fr. Andres de
Ibarra.
Fr. Andres de Ibarra was
the first priest assigned in Kalibo and this was mentioned in the book
“Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas” by Gaspar de San Agustin, OSA.
“Recibiose
el convento de Aclan, encomienda de Antonio Flores en la provincia de Panay,
con la advocacion de San Juan Bautista. Tiene seis visitas muy grandes y
pobladas: cuatro en la tierra adentro y dos en el rio, que es muy caudaloso.
Llamanse las cuatro primeras: San Jose de Banga, San Pedro de Polo, Santa
Catalina de Hinsonogan y San Nicolas de Tolentino de Anangui. Las dos del rio
son: Santo Tomas de Villanueva de Macato y San Ignacio Martir de Tangalan. Fue
Aclan antiguamente tan grande que el solo tuvo mil tributarios, y por esto se
llama el pueblo Calibo, que significa mil, porque el nombre de Aclan es del
rio. Fue el primer ministro que se puso en Aclan el P. Fr. Andres de Ibarra.”
Jorde’s work also
confirmed this:
IBARRA (Fr. Andres) …Destinado en 1581 a la conquista espiritual
de Aclan (Panay), consagrose con ardiente celo a la conversion de aquellos
naturales, encaminando a este santo fin todos sus esfuerzos hasta lograr la
sumision y obediencia de aquel pueblo salvaje.
With the establishment of
a parish in Kalibo, so also the devotion to the Sto. Niño was propagated being
one of the features of the Augustinians’ missionary works in the Philippines.
Church history can confirm that Augustinian missionaries are known for
spreading the devotion to the Sto. Niño in the Philippines.
When did Kalibonhons
begin to celebrate the feast of the Sto. Niño with “ate-ate”? Again, an answer
for this shall be based on a necessary implication that the present Church of
Santo Niño de Cebu, built with stones carried by banca from Panay started on February 29, 1735. The term “Panay” was
used interchangeably with the name “Calibo”, and sometimes referred to as
“Aclan” in the “Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas” of Fr. Gaspar de San
Agustin, OSA. In other words, Kalibonhons might have been attracted to people’s
devotion to the Santo Niño de Cebu during those years when they carried back
home to Panay (Kalibo or Aclan) the devotion to the Santo Niño.
Another historical data
which is important to explain the celebration in Kalibo has always been held in
January, it was the month the Church of Santo Niño de Cebu was blessed and the
image of the Santo Niño was enthroned (January 16, 1740). Prior to this religious
event which was held in January, the celebration for the Santo Niño de Cebu
took place every April 28 of the year, a date which corresponds to the date
that the image was found by Juan Camus (April 28, 1565). What is now on the
Church’s record, in the month of January, a big celebration for the Santo Niño
de Cebu happened when it was enthroned in the Church and that was in the year
1740. Moreoever, Pope Innocent XIII assigned that the feast of the Santo Niño
be celebrated on the second Sunday after the Epiphany in 1721. It could
therefore be presumed that the basis of the celebration in Kalibo for the feast
of the Sto. Niño is this date (18th Century) that until now is being
celebrated.
When did Kalibonhons
begin to celebrate the feast of the Sto. Niño the way natives in a pre-Spanish
era celebrated their victory in war? When did they start playing their
instruments, dance to the music, behave spontaneously and informally and do all
these with a sense of the divine (devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño)? Well,
Kalibonhons have not yet found a relevant and competent primary source to answer
such question but surely the true-blooded, born and bred, Kalibonhons shall
have this to say, “Kinabugtawan eota namon don nga debosyon kay Nuestro Sr.
Sto. Niño.”
In 1993, when Bishop
Gabriel V. Reyes assumed his office as the Bishop of the Diocese of Kalibo,
year after year, he pastorally reminded the faithful to bring back the true
meaning of the celebration –a devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño. He even considered
the Cathedral a Shrine of the Sto. Niño during the reconstruction of the Kalibo
Cathedral in 1993. He would refer to the celebration of the mass at the town
plaza as Pilgrims’ Mass. He also exhorted the local government of Kalibo to
name the celebration, “Kalibo Sr. Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival”. He even
instructed the priests assigned in Kalibo to make a replica of the Sr. Sto.
Niño de Kalibo to preside over the grand procession of other Sto. Niño images.
In 2005, a shooting
occurred after the mass in honour of Sr. Sto. Niño was held at the Pastrana
Park. Despite the fact, the then Bishop Jose Romeo O. Lazo of Kalibo led the
grand procession of Sr. Sto. Niño. People could still hear the sounds of the
drums and the lyre during the procession but at that moment, it was done more
solemnly. Most of those who joined the procession held an image of the Sto.
Niño instead of a beer, rum or whiskey.
In 2006, the then
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made the strongest promotional pitch to boost
tourism in Aklan as she declared the Kalibo “Ati-Atihan” as the “Mother of all
Philippine native festivals.”
Does “Kalibo Sr. Sto.
Niño Ati-Atihan Festival” deserve to retain the title –the Mother of all
Philippine Native Festivals? Of course, Yes. The title was conferred to
Kalibonhon’s Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival by no less than the President of the
Republic of the Philippines, President Gloria M. Arroyo, when in 2006, she made
such strongest promotional pitch to boost tourism in Aklan. It was a unilateral
recognition on her part without requiring Kalibonhons to pass a resolution or
submit a petition to receive the title –the Mother of all Philippine Native
Festivals for its Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival. Kalibonhons did not ask for
it. There was not even a contest just to get such a title. It came as a
surprise gift from no less than the president of the Philippines.
Aside from this,
Kalibonhons may continue to hold and use such title because even if they do not
have the oldest icon of the Sto. Niño, their Sto. Niño de Kalibo is the most
celebrated image with the “Ati-Atihan” as an expression of public devotion
and worship by the devotees. Furthermore, Kalibonhons have the oldest and only
unchoreographed festive celebration of the Sto. Niño. They have the oldest and
only community-engaged feast of the Sto. Niño as multitude of residents go out
to celebrate it. Those who stay in their home wait for their guests and
visitors to celebrate Sto. Niño with them.
Above all, Kalibonhons’
celebration of Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival made history, not only in the
national level but also in the international level. There was even a
controversy when in the early 1970’s, the national tourism authorities
permitted the holding of artificial festivals indiscriminately labelled
Ati-Atihan in other towns. This precipitated a proliferation of Ati-Atihan
style revelry. Local pride was hurt by this turn of events and a word war
erupted in the newspapers (according to Marte, 1984). This only means, modesty
aside, Kalibo Sr. Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival was already an institution
before it has become famous for tourism.
On January 8, 2021, it
was timely for the celebration of the 500 Years of Christianity in the
Philippines, Bishop Jose Corazon T. Tala-oc blessed and declared open the
sacred haven for the devotees of the Sr. Sto. Niño de Kalibo. The bishop even expressed
his wish to some members of the clergy to spread the devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño
and its celebration all over the diocese.
One day, God willing, all
Aklanons might shout out loud, “Viva kay Nuestro Sr. Sto. Niño!!!”
DISCLAIMER:
The writer is not a local historian but a lover of Kalibo’s history. Most of
the details written by him here are public knowledge. Some are directly
transcribed from the sources to avoid possible error. Credits to the following
references:
References:
“Recuerdo (Souvenir Book
published on the occasion of the Sto. Niño Festival)”, Cathedral Parish of St.
John the Baptist, Kalibo, Aklan, January 16, 1994
Diocese of Kalibo
(1976-2001), “The Vintage Years”, Kalibo, Aklan
https://santoninodecebubasilica.org/chronicles/why-is-the-fiesta-senor-held-every-third-sunday-of-january/
Iturralde, Jose, (1975)
“Historia sang Santo Niño Cag Ate-Ate”, Kalibo, Aklan
Perez, Elviro Jorde, OSA,
(1901) “Catalogo Bio-Bibliografico De Los Religiosos Agustinos De La Provincia
Del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus De Las Islas Filipinas Desde Fundacion Hasta
Nuestros Dias”, Establecimiento Tipografico del Colegio de Sto. Tomas
Rodriguez, Felice Noelle.
“Juan de Salcedo Joins the Native Form of Warfare.” Journal of the Economic and
Social History of the Orient, vol. 46, no. 2, Brill, 2003, pp. 143–64,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3632812.
Sala-Boza, Astrid, The
Sword and the Sto. Niño: Señor Sto. Niño de Cebu History Revisited. Philippine
Quarterly of Culture and Society 36 (2008): 243-280,
https://www.jstor.org/journal/philquarcultsoci
San Agustin, Gaspar de,
OSA, (1698) “Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas 1565-1615”, ed. Pedro G.
Galende, Manila: San Agustin Museum
