The Ilocos Times

An ordinary farm boy whose first love is writing fiction and non-fiction from Tapao, Sinait in Ilocos Sur and with his strong inclination and interest in a “tagnawa system” is among this year’s President Elpidio Rivera Quirino (PERQ) awardees. Amado I. Yoro, The Ilocos Times ’ columnist based in Hawaii, USA, is a community service organizer. He first organized the Tapao Youngsters Organization and served as founding president. A grandson of a 1926 Sakada who worked at the sugar plantation as an oiler helper. He is a son of an immigrant and a watercress worker. Amado came to Hawaii on July 30, 1971 as an immigrant. He first worked as utility field worker at Oahu Sugar Company with a US$2.10 per hour salary.   A simple beginning in Amado’s more than 46years in Hawaii, he is involved with the Lions Club International and Gumil Hawaii and other organizations and served in various capacities and activities—community organizing, volunteer works

By Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporter Narvacan , Ilocos Sur—Over 1,500 participants attended a federalism summit held in an open court of this town’s municipal hall. Highlighting the advantages of a federal form of government which gives more power to the provinces outside Metro Manila through the so-called “bottoms-up decision making and no-nonsense leadership”, the local government unit of Narvacan led by their mayor Zuriel Zaragoza hosted the summit in support of President Duterte’s advocacy to implement real change. Mr. Zaragoza said decentralization and devolution of powers and authority from the national government to the local government units is better to enable local government units to become self-reliant, thus making them an effective partner in the attainment of national goals and in nation building. He reiterated this we can only achieve this through timely transition from the present form of government to a federal one. Citing the top four agend