balikbayan box | The Adobo Chronicles

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – SM, the Philippines’ leader in the retail industry, announced today that it was converting some of its department stores into PX Goods Centers. PX stands for Post Exchange which is basically the military department store. It sold goods that the average local store didn’t have. Servicemen would bring their native girlfriends or wives shopping on base. PX goods were extremely popular during the tenure of U.S. Military bases in the Philippines.

Now, as the Philippines and the United States prepare to sign a new 10-year agreement allowing renewed American military presence in this Southeast Asian country, SM said it would start converting some of its major stores into PX centers, starting with cities in which there are (or have been) military bases. These include the former Clark Airforce Base in Angeles City, Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City and John Hay Airforce Base in Baguio City. SM said it will also convert some of its department stores in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Filipino Americans hailed the SM announcement saying that this will eliminate the need to include such American goods like SPAM, Libby’s Corned Beef, Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee and Dove soap in balikbayan boxes they regularly ship to loved ones in the Philippines.

Honolulu, Hawaii – A visit to Hawaii is never complete without having a snack or meal of spam sushi. This Japanese cuisine-inspired delicacy is a mainstay in local restaurant menus as well as in the refrigerated sections of every ABC Store.

In the last week, however, spam sushi has all but disappeared in Waikiki and elsewhere in the Hawaiian islands. Even McDonald’s has run out of its spam inventory and scrapped the island breakfast combo of eggs, spam and rice from its menu board.

Investigation conducted by local authorities revealed that there has been some hoarding going on, instigated by a particular group of Hawaii visitors. Pressed by The Adobo Chronicles to identify the “hoarders,” one local official – on condition of anonymity – said: “secret service agents and journalists” accompaning President Barack Obama who is currently vacationing in Hawaii with the first family and first dog, Bo.

Officials are also investigating reports that the shortage is further aggravated by Filipinos going home for the holidays with balikbayan boxes loaded with cans of spam purchased from Costco and other warehouse stores in the islands.

Local merchants have sent urgent messages to Hormel Foods, makers of spam, to airlift several thousand cases of canned spam from its Minnesota headquarters to Hawaii.