KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The local government of Kalibo has issued guidelines to ensure safe and organized celebration of the Kalibo Señor Sto. Niño Ati-atihan Festival this year.

Kalibo Mayor Juris Bautista Sucro issued Executive Order No. 0004 that identifies primary and secondary festival zones, ensuring that cultural traditions, street dancing or "sadsad", and parades should be done within the identified festival zones as well as sets the general guidelines for the conduct of the festival.

All bands/groups must follow “one direction” only in street dancing to ensure order, while participants are reminded that wheeled instruments are not allowed during the Ati-atihan celebration.

The use of red, blue, and green lasers, smoking/vaping, and unregistered ambulant vendors are not allowed also within the festival zones.

Flying drones, except for those registered by the LGU and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines are not allowed.

Littering and political signages including placards containing lewd, obscene, profane, libelous, or insulting words are also strictly not allowed inside the festival zone.

Police Col. Victorino Romanillos Jr., provincial director of Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO), confirmed that 2,000 police officers from the Police Regional Office 6, most of whom came from Negros Occidental will be deployed for the Kalibo Ati-atihan to augment the local security force.

Initially, a total of 526 police officers from APPO were deployed on January 12, while the final augmentation will be on January 16.

According to Romanillos, festival goers and residents must also expect networking jamming on January 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. in time for Pilgrims' Mass and Grand Procession.

For merry-making and street dancing, the EO provides that it will start from January 15 to 21, and shall be until 11:00 p.m., while for January 19 to 20, it will be until 2:00 a.m.

Operations for bars, videoke bars, and other similar establishments shall be until 4:00 a.m. from January 18 to 22. (AGP/SQP/PIA-Aklan)