Sr. Sto. Niño de Kalibo 2025

 

On January 23, 1974, the headline in a local newspaper, Aklan Reporter, was about Kalibo protesting against Ati-Atihan held outside Kalibo. The protest was precipitated by the performance of a group of “ati-atis” in Ermita, Manila along the tourist belt on January 20, the same day the Ati-Atihan was held in Kalibo, Aklan. The Father of Kalibo Ati-Atihan, the late Mayor Federico O. Icamina himself said that the word “Ati-Atihan” is embodied in the copyright the municipality has acquired for exclusive right over a pageant depicting the custom and its origin, which deprives any other place to use the term “Ati-Atihan” in any celebration outside of Kalibo.

Many Kalibonhons today are not aware of this protest in 1974 to preserve Kalibonhons’s intangible cultural heritage. What some Kalibonhons thought that happened in 1974 was that “Ati-Atihan” became famous when an Ati-Atihan parade was brought to Manila by the Department of Tourism. But in our local setting, it was considered a violation of cultural rights and a misrepresentation being done without the sponsorship or permission from the Municipality of Kalibo. Yet the Department of Tourism then was just following its mandate to promote tourism since it was newly created in 1973 by virtue of a Presidential Decree (No. 189) issued by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.

Tourism, for all its intents and purposes, creates jobs and generates income for host community. As more tourists spend their money, financial benefits redound to the host community. Sponsors, financial support and subsidies have become necessary to create and maintain a tribe or group and even to improve the way the celebration is made. This is why some decades ago, the celebration of Ati-Atihan became highly commercialized as banners, streamers and advertising flags of some products like beer, whiskey and all others could be seen in almost all places of Kalibo. But tourism is not just about money. It is also about the preservation of cultural legacy.

Thanks to the timely pastoral intervention of the then Bishop of Kalibo, Bishop Gabriel Villaruz Reyes who recommended sometime in 2002 or 2003 to the local government of Kalibo to change the name of the annual fest to Kalibo Santo Niño Ati-atihan Festival and not just Kalibo Ati-Atihan. Thus, it is officially called Kalibo Santo Niño Ati-atihan Festival. This official name of the annual feast echoes the reason for the celebration of Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, and that is the Child Jesus known to us as Sr. Sto. Niño de Kalibo. This act of the then bishop of Kalibo is actually a blessing in disguise. When the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission on the Culture and the Arts declared that there is no Barter of Panay that ever happened between the Bornean datus and the Aeta Natives, it becomes clear that the reason for the celebration is the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño.

Consequently, outside the Church, there has been an increasing demand for historical and cultural artefacts why we have the Ati-Atihan if not for the Sr. Sto. Niño. In fact, this is not the only concern outside the Church. Instead of inspiring other provinces, towns and cities to celebrate their feast the way Kalibonhons celebrate, Kalibonhons now imitate what is seen from the celebration in Big Cities like changing our drumbeats into that of the battle of the band; our “sadsad” is at times switched with modern dance steps; our “snake dance” seems outdated while concert at the park is well favored. Instead of preserving Kalibo’s cultural heritage, Ati-Atihan is now packaged as a product for sale. Tourists are enticed to join the Ati-Atihan to drink and dance, celebrating down the streets from dusk till dawn. If this phenomenon is not handled properly by Kalibonhons, our cultural fabric shall be disrupted by these changes. Our communal celebration as Kalibonhons shall be gone one day as we reduce ourselves into mere spectators and bystanders of the celebration.

On the part of the Church, however, we remain the same in celebrating the Kalibo Santo Niño Ati-atihan Festival -we celebrate it with the celebration of the Mass. The Mass is the source and summit of our entire Christian lives. Such is the reason why we have our nine days’ masses before the vesper’s mass and the Pilgrims’ Mass. But why do Catholics care to attend Mass on Feast days? Well, the Latin word for feast is “festes” or “festos” which means joy. Thus, we celebrate a feast to experience the joy that comes from God. We celebrate the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño to share to others the joy that comes from the Child Jesus. We celebrate the feast with a Mass as it is through this sacrament that we receive Jesus. We receive the Body of Christ in consonance with His call to remain in His love (John 15:9-12). He further said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” In other words, our joy is not complete without Jesus; our feast is not complete without receiving Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Moreover, as a devotee of the Sr. Santo Niño de Kalibo, do not just be contented with your attendance at Mass during feast days. Rather, join the Diocesan Confraternity of Santo Niño de Kalibo headed by Mr. Bebot Lao, and attend the monthly Mass in honor of the Santo Niño de Kalibo. There is no need to wait for the Ati-Atihan to participate in the joy that God provides us. Instead, let Jesus be your joy. Remember, in 2021 and 2022, our “sadsad” and other major activities during the Ati-Atihan were cancelled in observance of minimum health protocols to prevent coronavirus from spreading, but we Kalibonhons still went to Mass during those days. We found our joy only in Jesus. And as we received the Body of Christ during communion, we felt complete in celebrating the feast of the Sr. Sto. Niño. My dear friends, anybody, Catholics or Non-Catholics may enjoy the celebration of Ati-Atihan. But only Catholics know that the real joy in celebrating the Ati-Atihan is the Sr. Sto. Niño, and our joy shall only be complete when we receive Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today and all the days of our life. May we preserve not only our cultural heritage but above all our strong religious belief on the Sr. Sto. Niño de Kalibo. Amen.