A ₱500 budget might cover a few grocery items, but it falls far short of what Filipino families traditionally prepare for Noche Buena.
That was how United Broiler Raisers Association chairman Atty. Bong Inciong responded to Trade Secretary Cristina Roque’s claim that ₱500 is enough for a family’s Christmas Eve meal.
“’Yung P500 ay baka grocery items lang, mga macaroni lang, konting keso, pero ‘yung manok, baboy, pampalasa na lang,” said Inciong on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on November 29.
With such a limited budget, Inciong said chicken and pork will have been reduced to mere “flavoring” for many households, a stark contrast to the full Christmas Eve spread families traditionally prepare for Noche Buena.
Inciong said Roque’s statement that ₱500 is enough for Noche Buena reveals the underlying issue: that conditions are bad enough for government to issue a prescribed holiday budget.
“Doon pa lang, makikita natin ang problema, kasi kung maganda ang takbo ng kabuhayan, ng ekonomiya, hindi na kailangan pag-usapan iyan. Ako naman ay 64 years old na, noong ako’y lumalaki, ang mga department ng pamahalaan, hindi naman nag-aanunsyo ng mga ganyan, ‘yung mga P500,” Inciong said.
“Iyan ay pangitain na talagang malala ang sitwasyon para sa karamihan ng ating mga kababayan. Kasi, kailangan mo pa mag-anunsyo ng P500, at piling-pili ‘yung mga pwedeng bilhin ng P500, malalim talaga ang problema,” he stressed.
Inciong said his own visits to public markets reflect how far budgets have slipped. Households, he added, now routinely settle for small portions meant only to flavor a dish rather than serve as the meal’s centerpiece.
“Kapag ikaw ay nasa palengke, may masasaksihan ka, lalapit ang isang mamimili sa tindera, “Ate, P100 na lang pera ko, ano pa pwede kong mabili? Manok? Baboy?” Ang nangyayari, para malasahan lang. May mga kababayan tayo na ganun ang suliranin,” he said.
A ₱500 budget, he said, might cover a few items for macaroni and cheese, but not the meat that Filipino families traditionally expect at Christmas.
Eggs remain the most affordable protein source today, but chicken, once viewed as an everyday staple for working families, has turned into something reserved for special occasions.
He noted that recent storms battered aquaculture and pushed up the prices of bangus and tilapia, driving more consumers to chicken and tightening supply.
Inciong also expects prices of chicken and eggs to keep rising as Christmas approaches. Producers often adjust production schedules so they can harvest in December, while retailers use the holiday period to recover income.
“Sa last two weeks, may bahagi ng industriya na nagta-timing, saka lang sila magkakarga para sa Pasko,” he said. Importers, he added, are also positioning for the expected holiday demand.
