In the coastal municipalities of Noveleta and Kawit in Cavite (a province south of Manila on Luzon island), only three traditional salt farms — known locally as irasan — remain active, as land conversion and industrial salt production have steadily wiped out a centuries-old livelihood. Salt makers say the 1995 law mandating iodized salt effectively gutted their industry by labelling rock salt as unsanitary, leaving them without government support to modernise, while the Philippines now imports roughly 92% of its salt despite having one of the world's longest coastlines. Although President Marcos signed a Salt Industry Development Act in 2023 pledging to support local producers, salt makers say they have received materials but no financial assistance, forcing them to supplement income through fishing and milkfish farming during the rainy season.