Kalibo celebrates foundation day on November 3
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – Kalibonhons will relive the history and culture on November 3 as they celebrate the founding anniversary of the capital town.

Mayor William Lachica, Vice Mayor Madeline Regalado together with the municipal and barangay officials and employees will attend the thanksgiving mass in the morning.

The municipal government of Kalibo, in a Municipal Ordinance No. 2005-049, officially declared November 3, 1571 as the foundation day and instituted the celebration of Kalibo Day every November 3.

And for the seventh time, on November 3, the town of Kalibo will celebrate its birth day, its 440th foundation day.
Other scheduled activities for the foundation day are Dog Show and Bloodletting in cooperation with the Aklan Red Cross and cultural presentation in Kalibo Magsaysay Park.

Professor John E. Barrios on his research output entitled “Calivo: The Founding of a Town,” had ascertained the historic day of Kalibo on November 3, 1571 started to have a system of government as an encomienda given to Antonio Flores.

"The date November 3, 1571, as it appeared in the notarized Spanish document dated June 2, 1576, was the first written date relating to the Spanish colonial administration in Aclan/Calivo under the encomienda system instituted by the first Governor and Captain - General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi,” he said.

Through then Kalibo mayor Raymar Rebaldo, he commissioned a historical research under the auspices of the Kalibo Council for Culture and the Arts (KCCA), created by virtue of Executive Order No. 25, series of 2004, to determine the exact date when the capital town of Aklan was first established.

In 440 years of Kalibo’s existence, it has contributed much to the province of Aklan by giving a foundation of historical pride and world class tourist destinations. Kalibo, a first-class municipality, is known for its festive Ati-Atihan festival held every January in honor of Senor Sto. Nino.