Trade Secretary Cristina Roque on Friday defended her earlier remark suggesting that P500 could cover a Noche Buena meal, explaining that the estimate was calculated for a household of four based on current retail prices.
Speaking before reporters, Roque stressed that spending for the Christmas Eve meal varies widely. “The Noche Buena celebration… would depend on the number of family members or extended relatives that would be joining…,” she said during the briefing called to respond to the backlash.
Roque noted that her computation referred specifically to “the P500.. is for… [a] mother and father and two children,” citing figures from the Trade department’s price guide for seasonal food items. The list outlines the cost of commonly purchased components of a basic holiday spread: Christmas ham at P170; spaghetti ingredients at P78.50, broken down into P30 for noodles and P48.50 for sauce; macaroni salad at “P152” — corrected in the guide to P152.45 — covering P40.95 for noodles, P55 for mayonnaise, and P56.50 for cheese; fruit salad items totaling P98.25, with P61.75 for fruit cocktail and P36.50 for all-purpose cream; and ten pieces of pandesal priced at P27.75. These items collectively amount to P526.95.
The secretary said families who choose fewer dishes could further trim costs. A simplified spread of ham, spaghetti, macaroni salad, and pandesal, she said, totals P428.70, leaving about P72 — enough to accommodate luncheon meat at P41 and corned beef at P34, which are included in the basic commodities list. She also pointed out that swapping macaroni salad for fruit salad lowers the cost of the meal to P374.50, creating a remaining budget of P125 for additional purchases.
Roque’s initial statement, delivered in a radio interview a day earlier, sparked a wave of criticism online, with users challenging her estimate and lawmakers chiming in. One legislator remarked that P500 would only suffice “if you travel back in time.”
