KALIBO, Aklan – Kalibo Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc urged the faithful to support Ati communities in the province of Aklan in the hope of improving their conditions.
Tala-oc celebrated the Pilgrims Mass in honor of Señor Sto. Niño de Kalibo as hundreds of devotees flocked to St. John the Baptist Cathedral on January 16, 2022.
“May this devotion of our Sto. Niño leads us to follow closely the examples of Jesus of being a humble, obedient, and trustful child of God,” he said in his homily.
During the celebration, Tala-oc called on the local officials to help the Ati communities in Barangay Cubay Sur and Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
“Let us reach out, help our Ati communities especially in the expansion of the ancestral lands, about 2.1 hectares in Boracay Island,” he said in Akeanon.
Three years ago, the native Ati community took control of the ancestral land in Barangay Manocmanoc in Boracay Island after the government awarded the certificates of land ownership awards to Ati families.
“In truth, kaabu kita nga mga Ati, especially in the diocese sa probinsya it Aklan. Kun amat naga kasubu kita nga kita man mismo gaduea kanda,
even, we won’t recognise their presence. Kun maduea ro mga Ati, owa eon it rason magselebrar it Ati-Atihan festival. Maybe we have to focus to the Sto. Niño,” Tala-oc added.
The Kalibo bishop said the Ati population in Bulwang, Numancia will be resettled also in Mobo, Kalibo. He exhorted the local officials of Kalibo to stay engaged with the Ati community in Barangay Mobo.
“Please help them. They (Ati) will not only enhance our community life with them but also the celebration of Sto. Niño in Kalibo. In Altavas, we have also an Ati community.
Buligan natun sanda agud maka fully integrate sa atung bigger community, while respecting their own indigenous ways of living,” he said.
Sitio Dinaut, less than two hours from Kalibo, is home to a community of Ati in Barangay Man-up, Altavas, Aklan. /PN
