Kalibo mayor launches 2026 Ati-atihan festival

By Jing Cawaling

Kalibo mayor Juris B. Sucro, in a bid to further highlight the Ati-atihan 2026, led the salvo that launched at the Pastrana Park the country’s oldest festival dedicated to the honor of Santo Niño and to celebrate the social import of the indigenous peoples in Aklan Province’s development.

Sucro underscored the value and impact of the event as a major component in the town’s progress and as an important aspect of Kalibo’s aspiration to be a major tourist destination and as a strong candidate for cityhood.

The festival actually takes place in Aklan but several towns host the Ati-Atihan events, with the biggest and most significant party occurring in Kalibo. The time-honored festival, arguably the most anticipated event of the year, highlights imaginative costumes and street presentations.

In a statement, Sucro called on Kalibo residents to share their personal practices and innovations to guests and attendees via performances executed during the festival, adding that each event does not reflect the town’s rich heritage but also feature the value of cultural preservation in promoting Kalibo as “a community of diverse people and a landscape of friendly population.”

“We will make sure the 2026 Ati-atihan surpasses what we have so far achieved; we need to press on to cement further the global recognition the event has already achieved over the years,” he said.

He also announced that popular Elias Band, one of the country’s revered performing groups, will complement glamor, glitz, and goodwill to the entire celebration.

In another development, Sucro, on October 8, was sworn in by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang as Region VI’s representative to the national League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), along with the other regional stalwarts of the organizations.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in his message, called on the local government officials to help combat corruption and rebuild public confidence in government institutions, stating that his administration remains firm in upholding integrity and good governance amid the growing public frustration over reports of irregularities in government.

He stressed: “We must take responsibility to eradicate this abhorrent culture of corruption that poisons public trust and robs us of a better future… Let us continue to do the work that changes millions of lives. Be testaments that public service can still be honest and hopeful.”