Kasafi releases subsidies to Ati tribes
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – Festival organizer Kalibo Sto. Nino Ati-Atihan Foundation, Inc. (Kasafi) has started to release the subsidies to competing tribes – modern, balik-ati and tribal this week for the forthcoming 2012 Ati-Atihan festival.

A total of P744,000 financial support was approved by the foundation to augment the expenses of tribe contingents participating in next year’s Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival.

Kasafi chairman Albert Menez said the foundation released P495,000 in subsidy and P415,000 in prizes to tribe contingents in the 2011 Ati-Atihan festival.

For the upcoming event, the winners will be receiving a whooping P704,000 in cash from the Kasafi.

Each tribe in the big group category are entitled to a subsidy of P35,000 from the previous P27,500 while Kasafi will give P20,000 support from P16,500 for tribes in small group category.

Balik-Ati tribes will get P15,000 or an increase from P11,000 while the contesting tribes in the modern category will receive subsidy of P10,000 from P6,000.

Meanwhile, the grand champion for the Big group tribal category will get a hefty P150,000 compared to P70,000 cash prize of the previous contest. The first and second runner-ups will also bring home P80,000 and P50,000 respectively. Consolation prizes for P10,000 each are awarded to three participating tribes.

In the 2011 Ati contest, the second and third placers bagged P40,000 and P30,000 for the tribal big category.

Menez said a total of P310,000 cash prizes from P130,000 in the big group tribal and the small group category from P106,000 to P154,000 are up for grabs for the tribes in the festival.

The champion in the Small group tribal category will receive P60,000, 1st runner-up with P40,000 and second runner-up with P30,000.

Balik-Ati and modern group winners will be receiving P200,000 in cash prizes with the grand champion in each category to romp away P50,000 in cash prize, second placer P25,000 and third placer P15,000. Two consolation prizes will also be awarded for P5,000 each.

Celebrated every month of January, the Kalibo Ati-Atihan festival in honor of the Sto. Nino is one of the most popular festivals in the country that draw thousands of devotees and visitors yearly.