Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said a P500 budget is enough for a family Noche Buena, sparking backlash from netizens who questioned the estimate amid rising food prices. 

In an exclusive interview on Friday, Secretary Roque said the P500 budget that she is referring to is fit for a family with four members—mother, father, and two children only.

“I was asked if P500 is enough for Noche Buena, and that amount did not come from me; it’s from the TV reporter. I said yes, kasya, kasi depende yan kung ilang miyembro ang pamilya. Kung mother, father, two children, kasya na siya. Lalo na kapag isang anak lang. Meron pa mother and son lang, or mother and daughter. Diba ganyan na ngayon ang typical na family,” she said in a telephone interview.

She stressed that a family has the freedom to choose how extravagant or simple the Noche Buena is.

In an earlier television interview, Roque said, “Kung tutuusin, sa P500 makakabili na kayo ng ham. Makakagawa na ng macaroni salad, makakagawa ka na rin ng spaghetti. Depende po iyan kung ilan ang kakain.”

Roque revealed that a manufacturer of Christmas ham has rolled back its price by P170, while there is a spaghetti noodle brand priced at P30, and a spaghetti sauce brand has rolled back by as much as P40.

She also said that if a family makes macaroni salad, they can buy a known cheese brand that is only priced at P56.50, while a customer can also purchase macaroni noodles at P40.95, along with a mayonnaise brand at P55.

“So, for a macaroni salad for a Noche Buena, the total is only P152.55. If a family chooses fruit salad, there is a brand of seasoned fruit cocktail priced at P61.76; all-purpose cream, P36.50, with a total cost of P98.26. A Pinoy Pandesal (10 pieces) is now at P27.75, so may sobra ka pa sa P500. Pwede mo pang dagdagan ng luncheon meat na P41, corned beef, or barbecue sa labas. Syempre, wag na yung mahal na ham kung apat lang kayo,” she stressed.

Roque maintained that the P500 budget is ample for 4 to 5 family members, and is not promoting extravagance, especially now that prices of agricultural commodities are surging.

“It depends on the choice ng family. Huwag na yung sobra-sobra. For a family of four, kasya na ang salad na P98.26 ang halaga with Pinoy Pandesal na P27.75, luncheon meat o corned beef na P41 at P34 ang presyo. We are talking about a simple and regular family in the P500 Noche Buena budget, not those families that are preparing extravagant feasts,” she maintained.

Not enough

But ride-hailing app driver Gilbert Sarmiento, when asked about his reaction to Roque’s estimates, said the Secretary is wrong amid the prevailing high prices of meat, vegetables, and other ingredients in making spaghetti.

“Syempre kapag spaghetti may giniling, hotdog, tomato sauce. Eh hotdog pa lang, ang isang kilo nasa P250 plus na. Eh karne pa at mga iba pang sahog. Napamahal ng sibuyas, bawang ngayon. Eh hindi ka naman syempre bibili ng hotdog na walang tatak kasi minsan ka lang naman mag-hahanda. Malabong magkasya ang P500 sa spaghetti pa lang,” Sarmiento, who earns P800 a day in the ride-hailing business, said in an interview on Friday.

According to the Department of Agriculture’s price monitoring, imported red onions used in various recipes were at P240 per kilo, while garlic was at P140 per kilo as of 25 November, particularly at the Commonwealth Market.

For meats, pork was priced at P330/kilo, beef at P420, and chicken at P280.

On the other hand, the staple Purefoods Fiesta Ham is priced at P630 per kilogram in supermarkets.

Earlier, the DTI assured that there would be no price increase on basic necessities and prime commodities until the end of the year, as the agency continues to coordinate with manufacturers and retailers to maintain the current suggested retail prices in supermarkets.