BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
Save your last hurray for the
Ati-Atihan festival organizer. The ‘last dance’ of Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Foundation, Inc. (Kasafi) will
happen this January.
The festival will start on January 2 and will wrap on January 20.
In a surprise move, festival director Albert Meñez announced the Ati-Atihan foundation will no longer continue its role of handling the 2020 Ati-Atihan cultural festivities for the Feast of Senor Santo Niño de Kalibo.
Fast forward to 2020, the Kalibo Ati-Atihan bills itself as a “world class festival today and beyond’ and “Mother of All Philippine Festivals” is entering the Ati-Atihan celebration without one of its key organizers year after year.
Kasafi has been producing events way back 2010 with a handful of volunteers, putting up a lot of time, resources and organizational efforts, to handle the festivities. Every year, the festival organizer has taken the Ati-Atihan by ‘storm’ for the festival goers and locals to experience one of the world’s best festivals.
In 2010, the foundation started to manage the festival through a Memorandum of Agreement with the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalibo and Kalibo mayor William Lachica.
In a surprise move, festival director Albert Meñez announced the Ati-Atihan foundation will no longer continue its role of handling the 2020 Ati-Atihan cultural festivities for the Feast of Senor Santo Niño de Kalibo.
Fast forward to 2020, the Kalibo Ati-Atihan bills itself as a “world class festival today and beyond’ and “Mother of All Philippine Festivals” is entering the Ati-Atihan celebration without one of its key organizers year after year.
“We are a big part of this
Ati-Atihan. It is with heavy heart, but, absolutely fulfilling for the
volunteers to look back at nine incredible years. We could not do it without
the ongoing support, interest, trust and confidence of the people and the communities.
I think the devotees will recognize this as well,” Meñez stressed.
Kasafi has been producing events way back 2010 with a handful of volunteers, putting up a lot of time, resources and organizational efforts, to handle the festivities. Every year, the festival organizer has taken the Ati-Atihan by ‘storm’ for the festival goers and locals to experience one of the world’s best festivals.
In 2010, the foundation started to manage the festival through a Memorandum of Agreement with the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalibo and Kalibo mayor William Lachica.
Meñez has emphasized the festival has sparked unique collaborations
of many partners, sponsors, artists, and countless motivated organizations over
the years. It attracted tens of thousands of devotees, balikbayans or simply
merrymakers for the Santo Niño fiesta.
Ati-Atihan’s economic
impact is also substantial not only for hotels and inns but also for home stay
establishments, food vendors and local restaurants.
“We know the festival will
flourish without us. The show must go on. This is maybe the last time that we
will handle the Ati-Atihan festival. But I assure you this is not the last time you will see
Kasafi,” Meñez added.
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