Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Senator Nancy Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay, has filed a new bill that would make lechon (roasted pig) the official national dish of the Philippines.

Until recently, the “unofficial’ national dish was the adobo.

In filing the new bill, Binay said that the main reason she wanted to replace adobo  with lechon was to memorialize Congress’ pork barrel which many believe will soon  be extinct. A major signature campaign has been initiated by Filipino grassroots groups asking Congress to permanently abolish pork barrel.

“Making lechon the national dish will be a constant reminder to all Filipinos of the many ghost projects that have been successfully funded through the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). PDAF, also known as pork barrel funds, is the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured primarily to bring money to a Congressional district.

Earlier this year, a 10 Billion-peso pork barrel scam rocked Congress and the nation, leading to indictments and the arrest of business persons and politicians who allegedly pocketed taxpayer funds intended for non-existent projects and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

While the chicken industry is totally opposed to the new bill, the country’s swine producers are throwing their full support for the measure.  As a compromise, the chicken raisers are proposing that  lechon  and chicken adobo be designated as “co-national dish.”

Binay is scheduled to convene a townhall meeting next week to hear the pros and cons of her measure.