Aklan Province, Visayas, Philippines
Aklan is a province in the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. (Region VI)
The most famous area of Aklan is the Island of Boracay, situated in the Malay Municipality.
Cities of Aklan Province.
None
Municipalities of Aklan Province.
Altavas
Balete
Banga
Batan
Buruanga
Ibajay
Kalibo (Capital)
Lezo
Libacao
Madalag
Makato
Malay
Malinao
Nabas
New Washington
Numancia
Tangalan
Airports in Aklan Province.
- Kalibo International Airport
- Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (AKA: Caticlan Airport or Boracay Airport)
Hotels in Aklan Province.
Check HotelsCombined for Holiday Accomodation in Aklan, Visayas
Special Events in Aklan Province:
- January – Kalibo’s Ati-atihan Festival. The Ati-Atihan Festival is held every year in January in Kalibo, the capital of Aklan province. It is a two-week festival that ends on the third Sunday of the month.
- May – Nabas’ Bariw Festival. The Nabas Bariw Festival is celebrated to commemorate the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer, the town’s patron saint. It is celebrated annually from May 12 – 15. This celebration showcase the town’s hat, mat and other bariw products as well as the town’s unique tourism sites and natural attractions.
Government Website for Aklan Province.
Recent Aklan Posts:
History of Aklan (from wikipedia.org)
Aklan is believed to have been settled in the 12th century by settlers from Borneo, ruled by the chieftain Datu Dinagandan which traded with its neighbouring islands. Aklan then became a part of the Kedatuan of Madja-as.
Towards the end of the 14th century, Datu Dinagandan moved the capital from what is now Batan. In 1433, Datu Kalantiaw’s grandson and successor, Datu Kalantiaw III, was said by Jose Marcos to have formulated a set of laws known today as the Code of Kalantiaw. Well respected scholarly long-term Philippine resident historian William Henry Scott, proved these “laws” to be a total fabrication. In 1437, the short-lived dynasty of Datu Kalantiaw ended when Datu Kalantiaw III was killed in battle with the tribes of Datu Manduyog, the legitimate successor of Datu Dinagandan. When Datu Manduyog became the new chieftain, he moved the capital to Bakan (now known as Banga).
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. Datu Kabanyag was the chieftain at that period and had his capital in Libacao.
In 1942, the Japanese invaded Aklan during World War II and in 1945, combined Filipino and American army along with Aklanon guerrillas liberated Aklan during the war in the Pacific.
Aklan became an independent province through Republic Act No. 1414 signed by Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay on April 25, 1956, separating Aklan from Capiz.[7] 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. José 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.