P-Noy, Binay hail Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – President Benigno Simeon ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III led well-wishers of the 2011 Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival in honor of Senor Sto. Nino.
“This festival is a unique facet of a town that is renowned among our people for being a vibrant, colorful community. “Your celebration also coincides with this era of change and reform, begun by our own citizenry with the mandate they have given our administration to setup the country on the straight path to stability and prosperity,” the Chief Executive said.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, for his part, stressed that the Kalibo Ati-Atihan has now become one of the biggest and colorful devotions to the Child Jesus or the Santo Nino.

“It is also my hope that the feast of the Child Jesus will further foster community building in all of us and cultivate solidarity and camaraderie among our countrymen,” Binay said.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile also hailed the annual Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival, saying, the festival is easily one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country, as it draws more foreigners and local tourists to the town every year.

“There is no doubt that it has become a major tourist event because it is a showcase of pride in our own culture and celebration of the Filipino spirit,” Enrile said.

“But amid the festivities and the merrymaking, let us not forget that Ati-Atihan is at bottom a religious feast in honor of the Sto. Nino. It should be an occasion to strengthen our faith and to express our gratitude for the blessing has your municipality received in the past.”

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. also lauded the Ati-Atihan festival as a testament to the rich and adverse cultural heritage of Filipino people.

“We commend the Kasafi for keeping this tradition alive in a time of rapid modernly and constant change. Further, the promotion of the festival boosts the thriving tourism sector in the province,” he added.