The state of our onions has gotten us international news coverage. An article in the BBC posted yesterday was entitled “Cost of living: How onions became a luxury in the Philippines.”
The article gave an objective overview of the onion situation, noting that the “staple ingredient has become a symbol of the rising cost of living.”
But it also noted Filipino resilience and creativity, reporting how a bride in Iloilo carried a bouquet of onions instead of flowers, which “would wilt and end up being thrown away,” unlike onions which “could still be used after the wedding.”
I’m waiting to see how much the prices of onions will decrease with the supposed arrival of imports, as well as the local harvests, that should “flood” the markets in the next few days. Hopefully my bistek and other ulam will once again be as malasa (tasty) as they are supposed to be. – Lyn Bernales, San Juan City