Editorial

The Necessity of Sto. Niño
Financial Report Disclosure

The 797th Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival is now history. For the first time, security was well prepared. One week before the festival, Aklan Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Clarence Guinto announced the security plan with every detail like the number of personnel, tasks forces, budget and deployment. According to Guinto, some 850 policemen in Aklan, augmentation from Capiz, Antique and the Police Regional Office with Kalibo Municipal Auxiliary police constituted the security forces.

Guinto also revealed the traffic rerouting during the festivities specifically on January 14 during the Higante parade and contest, on January 17 during the judging of various tribes and on January 18 during the “sadsad” and religious procession.

The security and traffic plan was well crafted and well executed. Except for minor incidents of pick pocketing and intoxications, the celebration was peaceful. Police Sr. Supt. Clarence Guinto and the PNP highly deserve loud applauses and congratulations for the job well done.

Unlike the previous year, advertising this year’s festival was moderately done. There was no negative comment this writer heard but positive remarks on the matter of product popularization.

However, in the midst of the weeklong festivities, complaints against the assignments of the Regalado Street for the external vendors were made. A highly courageous lady aired her deep seated resentment over the radio station RGMA–DYRU strongly objecting against the assignment for vendors of portions of the street fronting her house.

And she prevailed. No vendor was able to occupy one side of the road. It was passable to vehicles even during the Ati-Atihan days.

But not the Regalado Street at the back of the St. John the Baptist Cathedral, between Martelino and C. Laserna Streets. It was totally occupied as Kalibo Municipal Hall totally leased it to the vendors. It was highly difficult to pass to get inside. Hopefully, next year, Kalibo Municipal Hall will believe on the principle that “streets are beyond the commerce of man” and must not be used to raise money. It must not be rented to anybody but use it as passageway.

In case fire breaks out inside the shopping center, firemen will suffer a hard job fighting the fire. Shops inside the shopping center enjoyed less sales, polluted air, and obnoxious smell of various components.

During the Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan season, residents in the vicinity of Magsaysay Park and Pastrana Park were the victims of pollution in terms of noise, air and garbage. They endured congestion. Being that, will the officials concern make the festival record open to them? Will Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo allow his subalterns to prepare financial report and disclose it to the Kalibonhons? They will be glad to learn how much gross income is there, how much is spent, and how much is the surplus.

If there is surplus, any proposal how the money will be spent is highly appreciated. Will it be spent to repair the streets of Kalibo? Several portions of the roads of Kalibo require urgent repair. Acevedo and L. Barrios streets are good examples of badly damaged streets in Poblacion, Kalibo.

The public will highly appreciate early disclosure of a highly accurate financial report of the 797th Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan celebration.

For next year celeb-ration, early planning is necessary. It is not only on security and traffic manage-ment preparation, but more on physical infrastructure. Sto. Niño Ati-atihan Festival is street dancing (sadsad) and religious rituals like the procession. Hence, the repair of streets in the Poblacion, Kalibo is a must. Streets are heavily damaged which are not conducive to the Sto. Niño Ati-atihan weeklong rituals. Roads like the L. Barrios and Acevedo Streets must be repaired which were muddy during the latest celebration. It is not of good taste to say that whether environment is good or bad, people will attend the festival because of their “panaad”. They will be induced to join the festivities if the environment is favorable. /MP