This, after Salo tagged Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva as a “co-champion” in the endeavor.
On Saturday, Villanueva commented that it was “shameful” for the Philippines to be importing 93 percent of its salt requirements annually despite being an archipelagic country–that is, a country surrounded by water. “It is indeed shameful for our country to be import-dependent on salt, an industry which should be thriving in an archipelagic country with more than 36,000 kilometers of shorelines,” Salo affirmed.The solon further stressed that the 93 percent imported salt represents millions, if not billions, of lost potential revenues and employment opportunities for our salt farmers and producers. Salt is a basic food commodity and a key raw material for agro-industries and chemical industries.
“And now that Senator Villanueva is with us, we hope to gather more support in Congress to finally pass a law for our salt farmers and producers,” Salo noted.“Indeed, we can still become a net exporter of salt only if the government undertakes immediate steps to address the sad state of our salt industry and take the lead in revitalizing it,” he stressed.