Kalibo is the capital of the Philippine province of Aklan, in the northwest of Panay, and,
through the Kalibo International Airport, is the main transportation hub for the resort
island of Boracay.
The city is known for the Ati-Atihan festival and for the semi-urban mangrove forest, the
Bakhawan Eco-Park. In 2010, it had a population of around 75,000.
Kalibo is a first class Philippine municipality. The Kalibo Municipal Hall is located inside
the Magsaysay Park, which also serves as the venue for cultural activities and events.
Etymology
The term Kalibo comes from the Aklanon word "sangk lbo", ("one thousand"),
reputedly the number of native Ati who attended the first Catholic Mass celebrated
there. Kalibo was originally spelled as "Calivo".
The town of Kalibo was originally called Akean by the inhabitants, similar to the name of
the river nearby. The word akean itself connotes the warbling of running waters, from
the root word akae, meaning "to boil". Akae-akae means "to bubble" or "to boil" or "to
make the sound of bubbling or boiling" in the Aklanon language.
The Spaniards interchanged the names Aklan and Calivo to refer to the town. Aside
from these two, other names such as Calibo, Daclan, Adan, and Calibog have been
used.
History
When Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived In 1569, he found the city had 2,000 so he
recruited 500 to help conquer the rest of the Philippines. On November 3, 1571, it
became an encomienda and on April 22, 1581 the city became a parish under the
Augustinians. During the Spanish era, Kalibo was part of Capiz.
On March 23, 1897 the Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan were executed by the Spanish
colonial government for their role in the Philippine Revolution.
The town was affected by World War II. On November 8, 1956, the province of Aklan
was officially inaugurated and Kalibo became the capital. During the early 21st century,
Aklan congressman Florencio Miraflores filed a bill seeking to convert Kalibo into a city
but this has yet to succeed.
The town was part of a decision by the Supreme Court of the Philippines on November
18, 2008, that granted a petition by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) that
the annulment of the cityhood status of the 16 towns whose cityhood bills were passed
during the 11th Congress.
Geography of the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago that consists of an estimated 7,107 islands with a
total land area of 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). The 11 largest islands
contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about
105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq mi). The next largest island is Mindanao at about
95,000 square kilometers (36,680 sq mi). The archipelago is around 800 kilometers
(500 mi) from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo.
The Philippine archipelago is divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. The Luzon islands include Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro,
Marinduque, Masbate, Romblon, Catanduanes, Batanes Islands and Polilio Is.. The
Visayas is the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which are:
Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Siquijor, Biliran and Guimaras. The
Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, Dinagat Is., Siargao Is., Camiguin, Samal Is.,
plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and Tawi-Tawi.
