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'Panaad' leads back devotees of Sr. Sto. Niño to Kalibo

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Why do many people from all walks of life, Aklanons or not, from near and far, flock to Kalibo and other towns in the province every January of the year? Why don’t they mind spending a lot of money just to prance along Kalibo streets, shouting “Hala Bira” and “Viva Kay Sr. Sto. Niño" at the top of their lungs, never minding the hot sun or the drizzling rain?

Whether you ask Ati-atihan tribe members, the Balikbayans, the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), or an elderly lady who is now in the company of her grandchildren – most of them will tell you that it’s because of their “Panaad” to the Sr. Sto. Niño.

“Panaad” is a Visayan term which could mean many things. In Aklan, it could mean a vow, a pledge, a pact, or a promise to come back to Kalibo, again and again on the third week of January yearly to pay homage to the Child Jesus.

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This man is raising his Sr. Sto. Niño image during the Sunday Pilgrim's Mass of the recent Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival upon hearing the "Viva Kay Sr. Sto. Niño" chant of Mayor Juris Sucro (not in picture) to signal the start of the Grand Procession and street dancing.
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Their “Panaad” to the Sr. Sto. Niño may come in many ways-- One could be by doing the “Sad-sad” or street dancing accompanied by drums and other instruments along Kalibo streets while clasping an image of Sto. Niño, or submitting oneself for “Paeapak" at the Kalibo Cathedral, or lighting candles, attending the Sunday Pilgrim’s Mass in front of the cathedral, joining the procession, and many more - depending on the faith of the reveler.

For them, these various manifestations of their “Panaads” are priceless.

And by the statement of the tribe manager of the champion of this year’s Tribal Group Big Category – the Vikings Tribe, this could be true. In a radio interview, he said that beyond the P1 million prize they received from LGU-Kalibo, which is the biggest-ever cash prize provided in the history of the Ati-

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atihan, they joined the Ati-Atihan Contest in Kalibo more because of their “Panaad” to the Sr. Sto. Niño.

“May premyo man ukon owa, padayon kami nga maga-entra sa Ati-atihan Contest bangud raya hay panaad nga gin-umpisahan pa ku akong ama halin it 1975 (We will continue joining the Ati-Atihan Contest whether there are prizes or none to continue the “Panaad” of my father since 1975),” Hark Tesorero, the tribe manager said.

This sentiment was echoed by Engr. Lucas Francisco, tribe leader of Black Beauty Boys, the group that came second to the Vikings which won P300,000.00 cash prize.

He said it is their “Panaad” every year to join the contest, and they are happy that their cash prize this year enabled them to recover the expenses they incurred for their costumes.

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For Ronnie Icamina, a resident of Camanci Norte, Numancia, Aklan, his kind of “Panaad” is by attending the Sunday morning Pilgrim’s Mass while holding his Sr. Sto. Niño image and then doing the “sadsad” with any group he fancies to join later.

He said he had been doing this practice for 11 years already. As he dresses his Niño in modern boy’s clothes like maong pants and t-shirt with matching rubber shoes, he said many  people find this special and unique and some of them sometimes ask his permission to take photos of his dressed-up Nino, which he gladly obliges.

The celebration of the Ati-atihan Festival is also about entertainment, relaxation, good food, and good music provided by bands, who mostly are from out-of-town like Manila or Iloilo.

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This girl is holding not just one but two images of Sr. Sto. Niño as she attends the Sunday Pilgrim's Mass of the Kalibo Sto. Niño Ati-Atihan Festival, the major religious highlight of the celebration.
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This is where Rodrose Fuentes, a good cook and entrepreneur, comes in. For 15 years, she had been a concessionaire at the Kalibo Magsaysay Park, the place of the so-called “Ati-Atihan Nights” where one could have a cold beer, good food, join the snake dance, and listen to live bands.

This year, she said, she was just able to recover her capital for her business venture, but she is happy because for her, this is her kind of “Panaad” – her way of honoring the Child Jesus – by serving good food and drinks to customers, while at the same time providing her helpers for seven nights the opportunity to earn extra money.

The Kalibo Ati-atihan is also a time for class and family reunions.

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The owner of this Niño is making up her mind if she would buy her Niño a new set of attire from an ambulant vendor.
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This year, J’Roel Del Rosario, former head of PhilHealth-Aklan, gathered his high school classmates from 50 years ago for a reunion.  Mostly retired and residing outside Aklan and some out of the country, they came home to Aklan not only to reconnect with their classmates but to relive the days when they were students in Kalibo by joining the street dancing while holding proudly the streamer and placards stating their batch then, section and school.

There was also a mother many Ati-Atihan years ago, who said, she comes back every year to attend the Pilgrim’s Mass. She was from Capiz, and she said she was able to attend her first Ati-Atihan in Kalibo when she was brought  by her Aklanon classmate in college. They were then studying in Roxas Ciity.

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Years after college and having a family of her own, she said it has become her "Panaad” to go to Kalibo every Ati-atihan.  At that Pilgrim’s Mass, she was accompanied by her young daughter.

That was years ago and by this time, her daughter might be having a family of her own and could be fulfilling her own “Panaad” to Sr. Sto. Niño by coming to Kalibo every Ati-Atihan.

The festivity in Kalibo this year officially ended on Sunday, January 15. But for those people -  Aklanons or not who have “Panaads” to Sr. Sto. Niño, their feet, this early might be itching to prance again for next year’s Ati-Atihan Festival. Their arms might be already longing to feel the weight of the Sto. Niño images they will be holding or raising while chanting “Viva Kay Sr. Sto. Niño”!

They will be back because of their “Panaad.” (JBG/VGV/PIA6 Aklan)

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Venus Villanueva

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