The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is getting flak again after its renewed insistence that a simple Christmas dinner or ‘Noche Buena’ can be had for P500, prompting three members of the House of Representatives to call for lowering food prices first.
In separate statements on Friday, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña, and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio questioned the DTI on the basis for the prices of items needed for a Noche Buena, as they are far from reality.
According to Cendaña, spending only P500 for a Noche Buena is possible only if a person travels back in time. ‘That would suffice if you travel back in time. While people are drowning in high prices, such gimmicks are very insulting. It would be better if the government would certify as urgent the proposals for a P200 salary increase so that the workers would have something for their celebrations this Christmas.’
Tinio, on the other hand, said this suggestion from DTI is insulting, especially in light of corruption scandals that rocked the country this year.
‘How dare the DTI insult Filipino families with this outrageous claim that P500 is enough for Noche Buena? What kind of a Christmas is that-a few noodles, egg, and water? This is a slap in the face to every working Filipino struggling to make ends meet,’ he said.
‘While contractors and their co-conspirators in government are living a luxurious life using people’s money-billions in kickbacks from budget insertions-the same government is trying to trick people into doing budget-saving measures and to maximize their small salaries. This is the height of hypocrisy and cruelty,’ he added.
Both Ridon and Cendaña also stressed that this is not the first time DTI has come up with such an idea, with Ridon stressing that P500 cannot even buy a decent Filipino-style spaghetti.
‘From what planet will P500 for a Noche Buena be enough for Filipino families? This is not the first time that the DTI has insisted that P500 is enough for the Noche Buena of an ordinary family. They did this before, but the difference now is that DTI Secretary Cristina Roque herself said that this is enough,’ Ridon noted.
‘But we know how a true Noche Buena of the Filipino family’s table looks like: there’s spaghetti, cheese, and sometimes ham if there are enough savings for Christmas. But with the prices of goods now, even a simple spaghetti and cheese would not be covered by the P500 like the DTI Secretary proposes – especially if the food is not for one family only,’ he added.
Cendaña, on the other hand, noted that such a small amount for a Noche Buena may be for an imaginary family.
‘They have been saying since 2022 that P500 is enough for a decent Noche Buena for a family. Maybe DTI thinks that’s for an imaginary family who are on an OMAD (one meal a day) diet for the holiday season,’ Cendaña said.
In an interview with DZMM, Roque said that families can already buy ham, build a macaroni salad, and even cook spaghetti with P500.
This is not the first time DTI has made this suggestion. In December 2022, DTI said that P500 is enough to cover the costs that come with a Noche Buena-the traditional Christmas Eve dinner-for a family of five.
According to then Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, consumers can choose cheaper and heavier variations of Noche Buena food items so that they would not spend much.
Castelo said back then that some food items have prices that do not vary much despite differences in net weight-meaning that heavier items are less expensive.
This, however, was branded as insensitive by many, considering the high prices of goods at that time. No less than Senator Imee Marcos said that P500 cannot buy a Noche Buena, but only a kilogram of onions, due to the spike in onion prices during that time.