Mother of PH festivals

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 16:00:00 +0000

 

echf ecf JOHNNY DAYANG echoes

ABOUT a million devotees and tourists at­tended this year’s colorful and decidedly successful Kalibo Ati–atihan Festival in Aklan, under the able direction of Kalibo Mayor Em­erson S. Lachica.

Considered as the Mother of all Philippine festivals in terms of its ethnic uniqueness, long history and tradition, the Kalibo Ati–atihan stands out as one of the most unique celebra­tions devoted to the Sto. Nino.

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Urgency to address disasters. In just over a month, the country, still reeling from previous catastrophes, was battered again by a series of disasters and calamities that affected thousands and devastated properties. Despite the much-vaunted Filipino resiliency, the impact of the misfortune was simply overwhelming.

The train of calamitous events started last Dec. 15, 2019 when a 6.8 magnitude earth­quake shook Davao del Sur. Nine days later, typhoon Ursula swept through the Visayan region, leaving in its wake over a hundred people dead.

On Jan. 6, 2020, a 5.4 magnitude tremor struck Davao Oriental, followed by another 4.6 magnitude eight days later, which hit Polo­molok, South Cotabato. The worry was further complicated when a US drone killed Iran’s top general at the start of 2020. The tragic event promptly earned retaliation from Tehran, which fired missiles at American bases in Iraq. As an offshoot, Manila decided to declare a ‘compul­sory evacuation’ of Filipinos from Iraq.

What really stunned Filipinos, however, was the Jan. 12 Taal Volcano eruption in Batangas which saw the mass evacuation of thousands of families from communities around Taal and adjacent areas.

The national government promptly responded to the contingency, which triggered a spontane­ous show of impressive Bayanihan support from among all Filipinos for the eruption victims. The train of calamities, however, has highlighted the urgent need to pass the proposed law creating the
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