Kalibo (Tagalog: Kalibo) is a class I municipality and the capital of Aklan Province, Philippines, in the northwest of Panay Island. The main transport hub for visiting the resort of Boracay is via Kalibo Airport. The city is famous for the Ati-Atihan festival and the mangrove forest in the suburbs – Bakkhawan Eco-Park. In 2010, the city’s population was 74,619.

Etymology
The word Kalibo comes from the Aklanon “sangkâ líbo” (“thousand”), which is generally considered native to the Aeta people, who attended the first Catholic mass. Kalibo was originally written as “Calivo”.
Initially, the city of Kalibo was called by the inhabitants “akean”, which is similar to the name of the river nearby. The word akean means the singing of flowing water from the root of the word akae, meaning “to boil.” Akae-akae means “bubble” or “boil” or “make a gurgling or boiling sound” in Aklanon.
The Spanish alternated between the names Aklan and Calivo to designate the city. In addition to these two names, others are used, such as Calibo, Daclan, Adan, and Calibog.

History
In 1569, Miguel López de Legazpi founded a city of 2,000 people, of whom he recruited 500 to help conquer the rest of the Philippines. On November 3, 1571, the city became an encomienda colony and on April 22, 1581, the city was marked by the arrival of the Augustinian order. During the Spanish era, Kalibo was part of the province of Capiz.
On March 23, 1897, the nineteen Aklan Martyrs were executed by the Spanish colonial government for their role in the Philippine Revolution.
The city was affected by World War II. On November 8, 1956, a province was created with Kalibo as its center. At the beginning of the 21st century, Aklan’s congressman, Florencio Miraflores, introduced a bill that proposed granting Kalibo city status, but so far this has not happened.
On November 18, 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted the application of the League of Philippine Cities to annul the city status of 16 cities, including Kalibo, whose statuses were adopted earlier during the 11th Congress.

Economy
Kalibo’s main industry is agriculture based on rice, coconuts, and payna and abaca fabrics. Also part of the export are bags made from corypha leaves.
The fabric of the city of Kalibo was used in 1996 in during the APEC summit in the Philippines, when world leaders donned Barong Tagalog pineapple silk during a mandatory photo op.
Kalibo also has a meat processing industry that produces chorizo, soufflé and other meat products.
The peak of tourism in Kalibo falls during the Ati-Atihana festival, which is celebrated in the second week of January, culminating on the third Sunday of the month.

Culture
Ati-Atihan Festival
Ati-Atihan in Kalibo is a holiday celebrated every second week of January and ending on the third Sunday of the month. Celebrants smear themselves with soot or any black-coloring substance in order to look like Aeti. It is believed that Ati-Atihan has been held since 1212.

Sights
Landmarks include the Aklan River, which flows into the city and gives the name to the province of the same name. Within the city lies the Temple of Liberty in memory of World War II veterans and the historical museum Museo it Akean. Outside the city is the Bakhavan Eco-Park – 220 hectares of mangrove forest – the result of a reforestation project that began in 1990 in the Buswang New barangay.

Transport
Air
Flight time to Kalibo from Manila is approximately 45 minutes and is operated by four airlines: Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, AirAsia Zest and PAL Express. During the Ati-Atihan festival, the number of flights increases.
PAL Express also offers flights to Beijing, Busan and Seoul. AirAsia Zest airline flies to cities in Australia, China, Malaysia, and South Korea.
Kalibo is the main transfer hub in Boracay. Kalibo International Airport is located about ten minutes drive from the city’s main square.

Nautical
There are four ports near Kalibo. Port New Washington is a 20-minute drive from Kalibo, and Port Dumaguit can be reached in an hour. The port of Batan is accessible via Dumaguit and Altavas, while the port of Malay is two hours away. Travel time from Manila to Aklan is between 14 and 18 hours.
The Caticlan Port Pier is part of a roll-roll-off, a powerful sea route system that connects the Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao, which runs through Kalibo to Capiz or Romblon. The pier is located in Barangay Pook.

ground
Public transport is represented by tricycle, taxi, multicab and jeepney.
Kalibo is located 158 kilometers from the city of Iloilo, 86 kilometers from the city of Roxas and 182 kilometers from San Jose Antiques. The neighboring cities can be reached by bus or fixed-route taxi. Travel times to Caticlan range from 50 to 90 minutes depending on the mode of transport.