Kalibo Ati-atihan festival 'generally peaceful' - Aklan PNP

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

(Akeanon) Ati-Atihan festival 2010, pangkabilugan nga naging matawhay ag malinong / Bombo Radyo

http://www.bomboradyo.com/other_dialect.asp?ID=128375

KALIBO, Aklan - The weeklong Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival was generally peaceful, except for incidents of pickpocketing, mauling, shooting, robbery and theft, the Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO) reported.

Senior Superintendent Epifanio Bragais, Jr. said the festival in honor of Señor Sto. Niño de Kalibo was celebrated smoothly and orderly by thousands of revelers, devotees and tourists.

Based on crime statistics from January 11 to 18, Bragais stressed that 32 cases of physical injuries, nine incidents of theft and pickpocketing, four robberies and a shooting incident were recorded by the Kalibo police station.

"Two cops were injured while trying to apprehend a minor armed with a deadly weapon near the Kalibo Pastrana Park and another police officer assigned at the Kalibo police station was involved in a traffic altercation resulting to a shooting incident," he told the Aklanforum.

Kalibo police chief Senior Insp. Arnolito Laguerta said the two injured field-training cops from the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 were confined at the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital and were declared out of danger. He also noted a number of drunk revelers, mostly involved in the commotion, were arrested by the local police and were detained at the Kalibo police lock-up cells.

"There were no casualties of Ati-Atihan-related incidents this year, owing, to intensified police visibility in all areas," he added.

Hundreds of policemen, Philippine Army and force multipliers were deployed in nine community assistance police centers, checkpoints, converging areas in Kalibo Magsaysay Park, Goding Ramos Park and Kalibo Pastrana Park to secure the tourists and visitors of the festival.

Traffic re-routing of vehicles going to Caticlan and Boracay Island and the eastern towns of Aklan, was also implemented to decongest heavy traffic.

On Sunday afternoon, tens of thousands of devotees with their Sto. Niño images and karos joined the procession in the major streets to Saint John the Baptist that started at about 2 p.m.