By Gabriel Cardinoza
Inquirer

BINALONAN, Pangasina–Residents of Binalonan, an Ilocano-speaking town in eastern Pangasinan, can now read in their native tongue the highly acclaimed novel of their famous town mate, Carlos Bulosan.

Thanks to Manuel Diaz, a local fiction writer, who translated Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart” into Ilocano.

“Adda iti Puso ti Amerika” is now being serialized in Bannawag, a weekly vernacular magazine that circulates in the Ilocos region.

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By Peter La. Julian
Northern Luzon Bureau

BATAC, Ilocos Norte–Instead of focusing solely on the national language, Filipino, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF or Commission on the Filipino Language) has revised its vision toward the development, propagation, and preservation of the country’s more than 179 dialects and regional languages.

“The KWF leadership has agreed to establish a center for information, documentation, and research on the languages and various literatures of the Philippines,” said Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, KWF chairman.

Nolasco, a Bicolano who spoke in Filipino, delivered the keynote address in a recent international gathering here of 182 Filipino educators, scholars, and writers from the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, the United States, and Japan.

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