Aklan
Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique to the southwest, and Capiz to the southeast. Aklan faces the Sibuyan Sea and Romblon province to the north.
Aklan is most well-known for Boracay, a resort island 0.8 kilometers north of the tip of Panay. It is known for its white sand beaches and is considered one of the more prominent destinations in the country. The Ati-Atihan Festival of Kalibo has also been known worldwide, hence declared "The Mother of all Philippine Festivals." It is an annual celebration held on the third Sunday of January to honor the Santo Niño. The festival showcases tribal dancing through the town's main streets to the tune of ethnic music, with participants in indigenous costumes and gear.
History
Early history
Aklan is believed to have been settled in ancient times by settlers from Borneo, ruled by Datu Bangkaya, with his seat at Madyanos, near present-day Numancia.Spanish colonial era
Several datus succeeded Datu Manduyog until the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi landed in Batan in 1565 and claimed the island for Spain, in early Spanish accounts it was called El Río de Aclán.Japanese occupation
In 1942, the Japanese invaded Aklan during World War II. In 1945, combined Filipino and American army along with Aklanon guerrillas liberated Aklan during the war in the Pacific.Postwar Era
Aklan became an independent province through Republic Act No. 1414 signed by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay on April 25, 1956, separating Aklan from Capiz. The original towns were Altavas, Balete, Batan, Banga, Buruanga, Ibajay, Kalibo, Lezo, Libacao, Madalag, Malay, Makato, Malinao, Nabas, New Washington, Numancia, and Tangalan, then all part of the province of Capiz. The province was inaugurated on November 8, 1956. Jose Raz Menez was appointed the first governor of Aklan by President Magsaysay and he served until December 30, 1959.In 1960, Godofredo P. Ramos became the first elected governor but upon resigning to run for Congress he was succeeded by the vice governor, Virgilio S. Patricio. In 1964, José B. Legaspi succeeded Patricio and he held office for two consecutive terms from 1964 to 1971.
Marcos dictatorship
The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Aklan. During his bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest. With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years. This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. Aklanons discovered that they could be arrested for even mundane things like being caught possessing a cassette tape of nationalistic songs.With no way to express their grievances about government abuses after the declaration of Martial law in 1972, many students felt they had no option but to join the underground resistance movement against the dicttorship. Among the most prominent of them were underground movement leaders Antonio "Tonyhil" Hilario, Rolly Lorca, and Antonio Tagamolia, who were killed in a raid in Libacao in February 1974; as well as student journalist Antonio "Diore" Mijares and Baptist Youth organizer Edward Dela Fuente, who were caught, tortured, and killed somewhere in Ibajay on Good Friday, April 20, 1984. Some of these figures were later honored by having their names inscribed in the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the authoritarian regime.
Dispossession of Boracay from the Ati
On Nov. 10, 1978, six years after the declaration of Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos, 65 Philippine islands including Boracay was declared "tourist zones and marine reserves" without any mention of the status of the Ati who were the original residents of the island. This de facto dispossession of Ati lands on Boracay by Marcos placed the islands under the control of the Philippine Tourism Authority, and marked the beginning of rapid development on the island. In turn, this resulted in the further marginalization of the Boracay Ati for decades.Contemporary history
Aklan was among the provinces affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, with an overseas Filipino worker who showed symptoms on March 12, 2020 becoming the first "person under investigation" in the province.Geography
Aklan occupies the northern third of the island of Panay and is bordered by the provinces of Capiz from the southeast and Antique from the southwest. It also faces the Sibuyan Sea from the north. The province covers a total area of, and includes the island of Boracay which is located at its northwestern tip.Mount Nausang, is formerly the highest peak in Aklan, standing at, the discovery of Mount Timbaban is much higher, with an elevation of above sea level, Mount Timbaban is not considered as independent mountain, it is still part of Mount Madja-as sub-summit with only Topographic prominence peak of above the isolation from the Parent peak. Located 6 km northwest of Mount Nausang and 4.8 km northeast of Mount Madja-as in Antique. Aklan River, is the longest river in the province with a total length of long.
The province features high geographic diversity, ranging from white sandy beaches, mangroves and mountainous landscapes. Situated within the province is the river Akean, which appears unique due to its "boiling or frothing" appearance.
Administrative divisions
Aklan comprises 17 municipalities. The province is divided into two legislative districts for congressional representation.Demographics
The population of Aklan in the 2024 census was 634,422 people, with a density of.Ethnic groups
The main inhabitants of the province are the Aklanon, who are part of the Visayan ethnic group. Other inhabitants include the Negrito, locally known as the Ati and the Sulod, a lesser known tribal group living in the hinterlands of Panay. Other Visayans also present are the Hiligaynon, Karay-a, and Capiznon.Based on the 2000 census survey, Aklanon accounted for of the provincial population of 450,353. Other ethnic groups in the province were the Hiligaynon at, Tagalog at, Kankanaey at, and Cebuano at.
Languages
The most prominent languages in Aklan are Akeanon and its dialect Malaynon and the Buruanganon language. Aklanon is spoken by a majority of the people, while Malaynon is spoken in Malay and Buruanganon is spoken in Buruanga. Hiligaynon is also widely spoken and understood in the province. Another language used is Ati, which is spoken by the tribe of the same name famous for the Ati-Atihan festival. Kinaray-a is spoken in the western part of the province bordering Antique. Capiznon is spoken in the eastern part of the province bordering Capiz. Filipino and English are used in administration and business as the national official languages.Religion
Catholicism
is the dominant religion of the people and Christian festivals such as Christmas and Lent are regarded with high importance. Meanwhile, Christian icons such as the Santo Niño are regarded as cultural symbols of the people. Animism, however, is still practised by the Ati. The Aglipayan Church or the Iglesia Filipina Independiente is the second most predominant religion in the province.Others
Other religions in the province include Members Church of God International, Iglesia ni Cristo, and Islam.Economy
The province of Aklan is designated as a first class province.Agriculture
Aklan depends on agriculture, with palay being the top produce in the province. Rice plantations had an area of .With the implementation of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani umaru rice production program using the Hybrid rice, production is expected to increase by 15 percent or an average of 10 metric tons per hectare in the succeeding years. However, the problem of low price support for rice still continues to affect the production sector.
In general, Aklan is sufficient in meat and other livestock and poultry products, though in the inventory of livestock and poultry in the year 2000, hog and chicken had a decrease in population from 114,890 heads of hogs and 886,597 heads of chickens in 1999 to 95,950 heads of hogs and 782,820 heads of chicken in the 2000. The decrease in production was attributed to the following factors: high cost of feeds, feed supplements and biologics, livestock and poultry diseases, increasing prices of chicks, and high cost of labor.
Coconuts still occupy the largest area planted among major permanent agriculture crops. The total area planted with coconut is. Ibajay ranks the largest with ; followed by Balete with ; Banga with umaru ; Makato with ; and, Altavas with. All the rest of the municipalities have areas below. However, in terms of copra production, Makato ranks number one with 2,770 metric tons per year; next is Balete with 2,669; and Libacao with 2,399. The rest produce less than 2000 metric tons. Total production is 25,375 metric tons annually.
Other crops produced include bananas, mangoes, rambutan, and lanzones, as well as fiber crops such as piña fiber and abaca.