Aklan

Aklan is famous for two things: Boracay and the Ati-Atihan Festival. The island of Boracay, just one kilometer from northern tip of Panay has one of the best white sand beaches in the world, the most known of which is the White Beach stretching four kilometers along the western coast of the island. Tourists also flock to see the annual Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo held every January. The festival is a feast dedicated to Santo Niño or the Baby Jesus, and revelers paint their faces with black soot and wear bright-colored costumes.

We’ve all known about the sunken MV Princess of the Stars and the destruction of Typhoon Frank in Iloilo. Unfortunately, other areas of Western Visayas like Aklan, Capiz, and Antique hasn’t received the same amount of media attention albeit also experiencing the worst typhoon that hit their provinces. For now, I’ll be focusing on Aklan and how Typhoon Frank has affected the province.

Photo by Vince from Explore Aklan

Explore Aklan is a newly established blog about Aklan and a partner site of ExploreIloilo.com. Vince, the creator of Explore Aklan, recounts his experiences during the aftermath of the typhoon and has posted some pictures of the devastation in his hometown.

One particular picture that intrigued me was the fallen monument of Cardinal Sin in New Washington, Aklan. The larger than life statue is made of bronze with a height of 13.5 meters. Seeing it lying in the ground gives you a clear idea of how strong the typhoon was in Aklan.

Typhoon Frank has caused the death of at least 60 people and more than 5 missing in Aklan. The floods has swept away thousands of homes leaving 300,000 dislocated.

Photo by Vince from Explore Aklan

Aklan currently still needs help. Their biggest problem right now is food and water because of the shortage of rice in their province and the lack of potable water supply. If you’re willing to help, any form of assistance extended to the affected families of Aklan will be deeply appreciated.

I have scoured the internet for details on how to help and where to donate and I have found these helpful sites:

AKEANON AG PROUD! - WHAT’S NEXT? : BULIG AKLAN, BANGON AKLAN!
banggecious - Help needed for Kalibo Aklan Typhoon
Growing up with Kitty - Help Please… Frank hits Aklan!
Help Malinao rise from the devastation of Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) to its former glory.

Thank You!

I hadn’t had the chance to go to every event of the Western Visayas Tourism Assembly, especially the Parade of Fastivals because I had class during sembreak :( But I did manage to get some coverage of it:
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EVEN in last quarter of the year, there is no stopping for tourism promotion in the province of Iloilo, both from the municipal and the national levels.

Preparing for the region’s grandest tourism event, the Best of the Region Tourism Assembly, the Iloilo Tourism Officers Association (ITOA) will get a taste of what it is like mounting one grand presentation of the provinces’ best festivals, products and destination.

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THE tourism potentials of Western Visayas will be like an open book showcasing colorful and unique destination attractions on October 23 to 29, 2006.

Director Edwin Trompeta of the Department of Tourism here said in a PIA interview that the activity is in line with the government’s development and investment plan for the country in recognition to the tourism industry’s role as one of the major engines for socio-economic development.

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Source: Sunstar

Boracay is a paradise for certified sun-worshippers all over the world. In fact, local and foreign tourists have made Boracay their yearly destination. Others have chosen to live on this haven

Sheltered from the fierce easterly typhoons, Boracay can be found on the northwestern tip of Panay in Aklan, a province on the Visayas island known for its Ati-atihan Festival.

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