Kalibo Pastrana Park declared as archaeological reservation site

Kalibo Pastrana Park has been declared as a municipal archaeological reservation site to preserve the town's culture history / PHOTO BY BOY RYAN ZABAL

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

To protect and promote the town’s culture history, the historic Kalibo Pastrana Park has been declared as a municipal archaeological reservation site.

An ordinance authored by Sangguniang Bayan members Mark V. Quimpo and Mark Ace Bautista was approved on May 14.

 

Kalibo Pastrana Park, right in the center of Barangay Poblacion across the Saint John the Baptist Cathedral, has been identified by the National Museum of the Philippines with major archaeological significance of the town of Kalibo. 

On 2004, a pit containing deposits of fragmented Chinese and European tradeware ceramics, glass and ceramic bottles, earthenware sherds and decorative copper-alloyed artifacts have been accidentally unearthed during the construction of a septic vault in Kalibo Pastrana Park.

The exposure of the findings prompted the municipal government to coordinate with the National Museum of the Philippines.  The artifacts in this site were from China and Europe dating around 15th to 18th century.

These priceless and irreplaceable archaeological materials recovered 11 years ago in Kalibo Pastrana Park bear witness to the history and identity of Aklan culture. 

Quimpo said, “there is an indication that Kalibo Pastrana Park was an ancient community where the culture history can be reconstructed by examining its technology, economy, social system and ideology from the typology of artifacts recovered.”

To preserve the archaeological site, the municipal government of Kalibo will coordinate with the National Museum of the Philippines for the research, exploration and excavation of Kalibo Pastrana Park.

The exploration and excavation aims to understand the pre-history of Kalibo Pastrana Park and its vicinity through collaboration with the government agencies. 

A joint monitoring committee will be created also to regulate and monitor archaeological exploration and excavation of materials, earth-moving activities in the area.