Monthly Archives: August 2023

Food, International, Media

Market Supply: Move Over Sili, Will Salt Be Next? (Video)

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(Adobo Chronicles’ senior geopolitical correspondent Brian Neyra contributed to this report.)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The irony of ironies! The Philippines is surrounded by sea water, yet it imports 80-90% of its supply of this basic commodity. The country imports at least 850,000 metric tons of salt from mainly Australia and China every year.

Then there are calls to boycott commercial goods from China because of the South China Sea territorial conflict. But then, that boycott may not even be necessary when it comes to salt as there may not be any to import from China.

There is panic over salt in China — people are emptying supermarket shelves and buying out all salt in online stores

The “salt rush” (抢盐潮) started after Japan began dumping radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The Chinese are worried that food-grade sea salt will soon be contaminated with radiation.

So is Philippine news media gearing up for its next salty “price and supply” narrative?

“Salt rush in China”
International, Social Media, Sports, Tourism, Travel

Japan Declares Gilas Pilipinas Coach Chot Reyes Persona Non Grata!

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TOKYO, Japan (The Adobo Chronicles, Tokyo Bureau) – Chot Reyes will not be able to step into Japan again following the Japanese government’s declaration of the controversial Gilas Pilipinas coach ‘persona non grata.’

The declaration, effective immediately, came in the wake of Reyes’ statement hoping that Japan loses its next game in the ongoing FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.

Reyes made the statement as his way out of criticism lodged against him for his incompetence in coaching the Philippine basketball team. The Philippines has so far lost two our of two games it has played.

The declaration, signed by no less than Emperor Naruhito, cited Reyes for his lack of sportsmanship and for disrespecting Japan, considering that its team is competing fair and square in the host country.

As persona non grata, Reyes is not welcome to visit Japan — not even to coach the Philippine team if ever it plays in a tournament in that country.

The Japanese government said it was unbecoming for the Filipino coach to make such a statement especially in light of his country’s new tourism campaign of “Love the Philippines.”