Precolonial and Spanish Colonial Period When
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in 1569, he discovered that the town already had around 2,000 inhabitants, so he recruited 500 of them to help conquer the rest of the Philippines. On November 3, 1571, it became an
encomienda and on April 22, 1581, the town became a
parish under the
Augustinians. During the Spanish era, Kalibo was part of
Capiz. The 1818 Spanish census showed that there were 2,700 native families and 167 Spanish-Filipino families flourishing here. On March 17, 1897, Filipino revolutionaries march to Kalibo but lost the battle against the Spaniards. Some of them escaped to the jungle. On March 23, 1897, the
Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan were executed by the Spanish colonial government for their role in the
Philippine Revolution.
Commonwealth, World War II and Post-war Period Aklan continued to be part of Capiz during the early 20th century. When the Americans came, they annexed financially-struggling towns with bigger towns in the whole country, reducing the number of municipalities in Capiz from 34 to 24. In 1903, today's towns of Lezo, Numancia, and Banga were annexed to Kalibo. Lezo and Numancia (which were a single municipality then) de-merged in 1909 and Banga followed suit in 1912. In 1929, the Capiz Provincial Hospital was built in Kalibo. Equipped with 30 beds, it was one of the few provincial capitals located outside provincial capitals. It opened in 1930. However, the war forced it to close, only reopening in 1945. In 1981, the hospital would later be renamed Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH), in honor of Dr. Rafael Tumbokon, a former representative of the
3rd district of Capiz (1932 to 1938) and Undersecretary of Health in the 1950s. The town also suffered from
World War II. Kalibo itself was occupied by the Japanese from May to August 1942, and then the invaders moved on to Capiz. They returned to town 15 months later, following the October 1943
juez de cuchillo where the Japanese massacred 74
Batan residents. This time, they garrisoned the towns of Kalibo, Ibajay, New Washington, Altavas, Balete, and Batan. The town would eventually be liberated together with the entire island of Panay on March 18, 1945. The town's older private colleges were established after the war:
Aklan Catholic College (1945), and Northwestern Visayan Colleges (1948). On November 8, 1956, the province of Aklan was officially established, and Kalibo became its capital. The town's trade school, the Roxas Memorial School of Arts and Trades (RMSAT), was established in 1959 and opened in 1960.
Martial Law Period (1965-1986) The mid-60s to mid-80s saw several developments rise in Kalibo as it took on its role as Aklan's capital town. The
Garcia College of Technology, a private technical college, opened in 1968. St Gabriel Medical Center, a major private hospital, opened its doors in 1969. The local power company, Aklan Electric Cooperative, was established in 1972. Meanwhile, the local water district, the Metro Kalibo Water District, was created in 1976. The provincial diocese was also erected in 1976. RMSAT was elevated to a state college in 1983. In 1984,
Typhoon Agnes (local name
Undang), ravaged Kalibo and the whole province. It would become the worst typhoon disaster Kalibo will experience until
Typhoon Fengshen (local name
Frank) in 2008.
Contemporary Period (1986-present) As a response to
Undang, the
Bakhawan Eco-Park began to take shape in December 1989 when the Kalibo Save the Mangroves movement was organized. RMCAT became part of
Aklan State College of Agriculture in 1998. It was elevated into a university in 2001. In 1990, the town recorded 50,000 residents for the first time. Kalibo was classified a first-class municipality in 1997, and again in 2008. The town's first major mall, Gaisano Capital Kalibo, opened in 2002. It is located in Roxas Avenue Extension, and had 20,000 sqm of retail space. ==Geography==