‘Night Owl’ to be launched in Ilokano, Visayan dialects

MANILA, Philippines — The “Night Owl: A Nationbuilder’s Manual” will be available in Ilokano, Cebuano and Hiligaynon, according to its author Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Lamentillo – former committee chairperson of Build, Build, Build program – said the Ilokano and Visayan editions will serve as an ode to President Marcos Jr. and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

She said that Marcos, an Ilocano, is keeping his promise to continue the infrastructure projects of the previous administration.

Lamentillo said that Duterte, who is from Mindanao and speaks Visayan, completed 29,264 kilometers of road projects, 5,950 bridges, 11,340 anti-flood structure, 222 evacuation centers and 150,149 classrooms as well as 214 and 451 airport and seaport projects, respectively.

The Hiligaynon edition is a homage to Lamentillo’s home province of Iloilo.

She said translating the Night Owl into local dialects would help spread the importance of infrastructure development.

The Night Owl also narrates how the Department of Public Works and Highways under former secretary Mark Villar overcame the challenges of right-of-way, ghost projects and unmet deadlines through the use of technology.