How much dollars flowed out?

Okay, nobody will clarify the source of the money spent for the congressmen and their spouses who went with President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo on her latest European trip. Since neither Malacañang nor the House would accept as the source of the funding, we can just leave it at that.

Take away the expense for the Spain trip. That still represents a hefty sum of dollars. Even if we conduct the cost of travel at $8,000 per passenger, the daily cost of staying in a hotel in the world's capitals represent still a very heavy amount.

So, how much was actually spent?

Just $20,000 per solon and spouse, that still amounts to about $600,000 for 30 of them not to mention the amount they spent for pasalubongs.

Now how much that means in terms of pesos?

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Even if I had not gone back to Aklan since the demise of my late wife, Dr. Lourdes Llavore-Espina, I just could not close my eyes to what Aklan stands for.

Every now and then, I get a feedback on offerings in that part of the country which I have learned to love as my own Negros Occidental.

Of course, I have long ceased to be patron of the Ati-atihan since I first joined the Ati-atihan of Ibajay town. That's the most populous town of the province.

I still believe that this is the real religious festival one must see. It remains untouched by commercialism, something which had contributed to Ati-atihan's deterioration.

Kalibo, itself, remains a forbidding community. Every year, during Ati-atihan, prices of goods skyrocket. So with the board and lodging despite the fact that accommodations are sparse.

But not so, in the case of Ibajay. There, one can always stay with relatives of friends provided one makes prior arrangements to be accommodated and not so finicky in the choice of homes to stay in.

The problem is that most Ibajay's prominent families stay out of the town for most of the year. They return home only often once a year to fulfill their pledge of attending the Ati-ati.

Anyway, that's not the point of this article. I'd like to invite non-Aklanons to visit the Museo in Aklan. This opened its mini-exhibition last Dec. 3.

The exhibit is the brainchild of Asoa Shimura, a Japanese paper maker and book maker. This time, Shimura's papers are made of Piña from Aklan's piña fiber.

He is joined by Twinkle Ferraren, a long-trained designer of swimwear. Ferraren had her first show of piña shift swimwear in Boracay last Dec. 2.

Another who attended the opening of the exhibit was Deepak Shesta from Kathmandu , Nepal . Deepak is well known for his unique lokthan shifu.*

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