Vice President Sara Duterte disputed the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) assertion that P500 is enough for a complete Noche Buena meal for a Filipino family of four.
According to Duterte, the DTI’s claim is false as the assistance her office provides to beneficiaries alone-which she said consists only of spaghetti and salad packs-already amounts to P2,100.
‘Hindi totoo ‘yun. Hindi totoo na kasya na ang Noche Buena sa 500 pesos,’ said Duterte in a copy of her chance interview in The Hague on Monday, which her office provided.
(That’s not true. It’s not true that 500 pesos is enough for a Noche Buena.)
‘Matagal nang hindi kasya ang 500 pesos para sa Noche Buena ng pamilya,’ she added.
(P500 pesos has not been enough for a family’s Noche Buena for a long time.)
Duterte made this pronouncement after the DTI recently drew flak for insisting that P500 was enough to purchase staple viands for Christmas.
According to the DTI, citing its ‘noche buena’ price guide, P500 could already feed a family of four.
In fact, DTI Sec. Cristina Roque even claimed that P428.70 would be enough, to include ingredients for holiday staples such as ham, spaghetti and either fruit or macaroni salad.
The DTI’s assertion is based on the DTI’s noche buena price guide where the price ranges as follows:
ham, P170 to P945;
fruit cocktail, P61.76 to P94.41;
all-purpose cream, P36.00 to P72;
‘nata de coco,’ P52.50 to P62.50;
‘kaong,’ P76.50 to P84;
‘queso de bola,’ P210 to P470;
cheese, P16.50 to P310; and
mayonnaise, P20.40 to P245.85