By LM Ceralde 
 
       The AKLAN HERITAGE TOUR is the first of its kind half-day sit-in-coach tour of the town of Kalibo,  the major  gateway  to the  island of Boracay.    The tour was developed  to provide  an opportunity  for tourists to extend their stay in this island paradise   and  gives  visitors  the chance to see more of the cultural and historical side of their Boracay vacation.  Industry-wise,  the tour aims to generate more income for  resorts,  tour operators and  travel agents as well as to the local community  and to the townspeople  who derive their livelihood from tourism-related activities. 

       The tour begins with a visit to the St. John the Baptist Cathedral.  Scant records show that the church was first built in 1581 in the old section of town,   totally different from  its current location.  Succeeding renovations  came due to  natural calamities and war  the latest of which was in 1997.  Historical records also show  that as early as 1569,  the Catholic faith was brought to Aklan by the Augustinian  Friars.  By 1570,  Martin de Goiti landed in Batan and from there secured the entire island of Panay under Spanish rule until the Philippine Revolution of 1896.  On April 21, 1581, Kalibo was canonically erected as a parish under the patronage of St. John the Baptist. The parish then comprised the entire province of Aklan and the towns of Sapian and Ibisan of  Capiz.  In that same year, Kalibo became a principal house of the Augustinian Order. It wan only in 1976 that Kalibo became a Diocese   and on  June 24,  1991 the St. John the Baptist Cathedral was officially declared  the Diocesian Shrine of the Holy Child  

       The cathedral  is the main center of activities during the annual Ati-atihan festival -  the oldest religious festival in the country  and draws thousands of   tourists all over the world every third week of January to honor  the “Sto. Nino” or Child Jesus.  The festival itself begins 9 days before the  Sunday highlight and is marked by    devotees of the “Santo Niňo” and   “Ati” tribes  covered in soot and  colorful costumes  doing the traditional “sadsad” or street dancing to the tune of  drums and whistles. 

      Next  on the itinerary is the “Museo It Akean” (Akeanon  Museum) housed in a renovated 19^th century “escuela” or old school building  near the town plaza and just across the cathedral.    The museum boasts of an excellent  collection of artifacts,  heirlooms and church relics representative of Akean history and culture.      On the second floor of the museum  is  an art gallery showcasing the talents of local artists as well  as a souvenir shop for locally made items. Some of the more interesting  pieces  that could be found in the museum  are the centuries old church bell dating back to the 16^th century and   an authentic ati-atihan costume complete with headdress,  adornments and spear and shield.  The Museum has its own curator who  runs the museum   and would proudly take  one around  while explaining Aklan’s history and culture. 

      Last stop  is the Piña Weaving and Heritage Center  which showcases the centuries old tradition of piña weaving  that made Aklan famous.   Once considered a dying tradition due to the intensive manual labor involved in producing the delicate piña  fibers and weaving them by hand on  wooden looms  which would take 3 to 6 months just to finish a panel,  the establishment of the Piña  Weaving and Heritage Center resulted in the resurgence of this tradition by incorporating modern techniques and innovations putting back  piña weaving as a major industry for  local as well as international markets.  The Center has its showroom  and display area where one can buy hand woven piña cloth for barong tagalogs and  Filipiniana dresses.  There are also a lot of souvenir items  made from  piña  which are on sale. 

Get Philippine Travel News on your inbox - Join Lakbay Pilipinas Mailing List