Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-atihan Festival is always fun said Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino when he spoke as consultant of KASAFI. Kapihan guests on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 are Augusto C. Tolentino, Chairman Committee on Peace and Order & Security, Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino, and Mr. Albert A. Meñez – chairman, Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-atihan Foundation Inc. (KASAFI). The topic is Performance Report 2012 and Plans for Ati-atihan 2013.”
Mr. Gus Tolentino, regional KBP chairman lauded the invaluable contribution of PNP, DepEd, PHO, DOH, PNRC and local media toward the successful and peaceful celebration of the “Mother of Philippine Festivals”. Special mentioned was Provincial Director Cornelio Defensor and Sr. Supt. Aden Lagradante of the Kalibo PNP. Through efficient strategic planning and implementation, they deployed 17 mobile police units, and organized 13 substations backed up by 900 law enforcers from the PNP, PA, and KAP. The result is zero crime despite the massive number of guests who came and participated in the week-long festival.
KASAFI is still learning the ropes of the trade so to speak said Mr. Meñez. We are only two years old in handling the festival. Practically, it’s a miracle that we survived the most crucial formative year since we assumed the cudgels from Kalibo Municipal Tourism Council. Fortunately, we were able to overcome financial difficulties. Thanks to the officials and members who shared their expertise and resources pro bono. This is a humbling experience.
“We allotted P1.8 million for prizes and subsidies effectively raising it from P70,000 to P150,000 per group participant. Actually, Balik Ati theme was suggested by Atty. Diego Luces, former Kalibo Mayor. Now it appears it has gained special appeal from both young and old generations of religious enthusiasts because it is more creative and symbolic in venerating the Sto. Niño”, explained the energetic chairman.
On the claim of Cebu’s Sinulog as the “Festival of Festivals” or the “Mother of Festivals”, Meñez commented, “well anybody could make wild assertion. Surely we could not rival them because of obvious disparity in allocation of resources. Just recently the Cebu Provincial government donated P6 million for the Sinulog festival. In our case we have not received a single centavo. KASAFI being foundation registered with the SEC is not authorized by law to accept funds or donation from government agencies” disclosed Mr. Meñez. (Foundation duly registered with SEC can accept donation from any authorized source except if prohibition is stated in its By-Laws – Editor).
Atty. Tolentino credited Mr. Albert Meñez and his staff for their selfless dedication to the recently concluded annual event. In view of the tourism promotion, logical move must be to equal if not exceed this year’s achievement. It is ironic that an official tourist arrival at Iloilo International Airport appears to be very much higher than in Aklan when their airport handles a maximum of five planes daily. By comparison, Aklan has the third busiest airport in the country, after NAIA and Mactan, Cebu. KIA serves direct flights from South Korea and China. Above infra program, KIA has boasted our edge in tourism revenues generating P14.3 billion in 2011.
According to Mr. Meñez there is no sense in inviting more guests to the Kalibo Ati-atihan festival because we have inadequate hotels to accommodate them. There are no hotels based on standard definition. Rather we have inns, hostels, and motels.
To address the problem, he bats for the creation of an Ati village near the KIA where buildings and support facilities are provided. In principle this will integrate other tourism projects like piña weaving, handicraft/pottery products display and sale, tourist info center, and others. Before the Ati village is realized, it would be futile to even think of it. The idea is very much absurd.
A practical solution successfully implemented in Bali, Indonesia where six (6) million tourists flock each year is to have in-house accommodation by locals. The only requirement is a prior accreditation by the local tourism board. In this way, LGU’s will not be in a quandary to finance a multi-million peso project that maybe later classified as white elephant. The forerunners are stalled projects of the provincial government such as the Nursing building, Calangcang Sports Center and Caticlan Jetty Port Reclamation.
Zero vendors in and around the vicinity of Pastrana Park does not hold water since LGU Kalibo has prior jurisdiction over the basketball court inside the park. Food court belongs to giant conglomerates like Purefood and San Miguel Corp. which paid hefty fee of P50.000 each to MEEDO. The same holds true for the nearby business establishments which claim preferential selling rights. There seems to be spirited quest for financial gain by some folks at every door of economic opportunity even if this proves inconvenient to the public.
Peace and order is not an abstract theme but a reality to be actively waged by all concerned. It is never static but a dynamic process reaching toward perfection. For now, we hope and pray for the best in KASAFI’s active management of the 2013 Kalibo Ati-atihan Festival. /MP
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