The Town They Call Malinao. Malinao, an interior town of the province of Aklan, is usually described as "a town where the rhythm of life is slow, almost lazy." True. But this description doesn't really do justice to the town. Because beneath its sleepy and beautiful exterior is a vibrant, progressive and forward-thinking town inhabited by highly educated populace that somehow is able to combine old-aged traditions with life in modernity. Malinao's history is in fact based on this forward thinking philosphy. Once an arrabal of Banga to the east in the 1700s, Malinaonons through their own cunning and guile were able to manage to submit a petition of separation direct to Manila that somehow got approved. In addition, despite this seeming ordinariness and unimportance in the national or provincial scheme of things, Malinao rose in prominence during the struggle against colonial rule under Spain at the end of the 19th century. A native of Lilo-an, Malinao, Candido Iban was a member of the inner circle of the original Katipuneros directly under Andres Bonifacio. In the provincial level, in the 1960s, an irrigation system was constructed in Malinao to supply to the water needs of the vast ricefields of Central Aklan (but ironically, not much of Malinao's land), a fact that seems to be lost to many Aklanons. Since then, Malinao has produced sons and daughters who have claimed their own niche in the provincial, regional, national and international arena. First and foremost, the town has produced and continues to contribute, like many other towns in the Philippines, countless professionals and skilled workers for the job market in Manila and abroad contributing to the town's (and country's) progress. In particular though, it has among its sons and daughters, board top notchers in many disciplines including the bar, college professors in many top universities in the Philippines and abroad, athlethes who gained national and international prominence, big city mayors, provincial budget directors, writers, poets, artists, journalists, executives in top corporations in Manila, Internet pioneers, and even an actor in Manila tinsel town. The list goes on and on ... but one thing is certain, all of them are proud to call Malinao their home.