Much as I’d like to join in the excitement of President Aquino over the interest of American businessmen in coconut water or buko juice, I have my reservations.
Upon his arrival from the United States, where he attended the official launch of the Open Government Partnership in New York – an initiative by US President Barack Obama and Brazil President Dilma Rouseff to promote transparency in governance, the President waxed ecstatic about the information that the Americans have discovered the joys of drinking buko juice, something that Filipinos have been doing since time immemorial.
“Drinking what they call coco water and what we call buko juice is a growing trend in the US. Because of its nutrients, because it is natural and environment friendly, it is becoming the new natural sports drink in America and is now a hundred-million-dollar industry,” he said.