BACKLASH HAS INTENSIFIED over the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) prescription of a Php 500 Noche Buena, as many point to its disconnect from the reality of price hikes and drastic inflation. Beyond this detachment from lived conditions, the proposal has sparked indignation among the masses, who are once again encouraged to make ends meet—even in the most festive holiday of the year.
In the backdrop of higher costs of living and rising inflation, DTI released a list of suggested Noche Buena items that justified their claim of the sufficiency of a ₱500 budget for a complete holiday spread.
What was framed to be a cost-saving guide for Filipino families by encouraging practical spending in the height of rising prices during the holiday season promptly became the flashpoint of public criticism. Several public figures and economic groups have expressed their concern over the feasibility of presenting such a budget, pointing to soaring food prices and utility expenses that have not been taken into account.
Beyond enamoring parols and heart-warming exchanges, this Christmas season reveals how the “spirit of giving” is dimmed by the anxiety of making ends meet.
The price of dignity
While debate has sparked over the feasibility of the government’s suggestion, the perceived disrespect of being told to settle for less has been the spring for public frustration.
For Akiah Loveighne Agbanlog, Internal Vice President of the San Beda Economics Society (SBES), the Php 500 claim ignored the economic realities and the hidden costs of keeping the tradition alive. Behind the economic lens, she saw the budget as an impossibility that “fails to account for the rising costs of fuel and electricity that occur before the meals are even set.”
Akiah expressed that setting low standards for a culturally sacred event sets unrealistic expectations while ignoring the need for stronger income support and price control from the government.
“Even if you’re buying in bulk, it doesn’t help much since prices across the board have increased. This also means less food and lower quality, so in the end, offering the Php 500 Noche Buena sets very unrealistic expectations,” she reflected.
To put this into context, a 432g can of fruit cocktail costs at least Php 61.76, while all-purpose cream (250ml) is priced at roughly Php 72. A simple dessert already takes a significant chunk of the Php 500 budget and, even when excluding the hidden costs of fuel, water, and electricity, pushes this barebones feast past the projected limit.
Highlighting the overlooked economic realities, Akiah lamented that the Noche Buena—if it can even exist—does so through the stringent financial considerations of the families who wish to celebrate the tradition.
“You can clearly feel na it’s not for Noche Buena. You can consider it maybe [for] lunch and merienda, but for a feast of Noche Buena, I feel like it’s not quite accurate,” she said.
For Akiah, a Php 500 Noche Buena is not about the diskarte of switching to cheaper ingredients or different brands, but about a family’s traditions and preferences that come together to form the holiday spirit.
Poor economics
As always, the economic ingenuity of the masses is highlighted when they walk on eggshells from the broken egg of poor economic policies of the government. What are our hopes for the future this Christmas when the institutions tasked to regulate marketplaces have naught else to offer but discretionary advice?
For Alfons Konstantine Sanidad, Third-Year Level Representative of SBES, the Php 500 suggestion reflects the government’s failure to manage price control and inflation, ultimately passing the burden onto the public’s own enterprise.
“It’s quite lacking. It shows the incompetence of a national department to provide proper prices of basic commodities to the Filipino people, especially in handling price control and the inflation level of the economy right now,” he stated.
Alfons points to the government’s seemingly unresponsive approach in tackling inflation and addressing the current minimum wage that has paled in comparison to the price of daily living and basic goods—a sentiment that is considered when the living wage for a family of five now stands at ₱1,200, a daily requirement that is difficult to meet with a minimum wage of ₱695.
“And if the government did take action, it’s not quite noticeable since we have not seen any major improvements to the economy,” he said.
Advocating for expansionary policies, Alfons highlights the need for policies and subsidies capable of boosting consumer spending, casting aside “measly” grants for policies that can stimulate economic development.
He asserted that the DTI’s responsibility for oversight amounts to more than evaluating and monitoring prices but also includes procuring price stability and combating inflation.
“How come the respective national department isn’t able to come up with solutions on lowering the prices of goods, especially [when] they have the power and authority to control and mandate prices in the market?” He questioned.
As festive lights flicker, “you are what you eat” reveals itself as a political mirror. To suggest a Php 500 Noche Buena is to tell Filipinos that their dignity is negotiable when they are expected to find the holiday cheer in a meal that has been hollowed out by inflation.
Dignity and a full plate are not luxuries to be earned—they are what the holidays should embody. When many are asked to be grateful for so little, may we find the hope to believe in a future where no Filipino is forced to settle for a Noche Buena less than they deserve.
(with Uriel Andrada)