DTI's P500 Noche Buena ‘not realistic’ — Win Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday disagreed with the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) claim that a Filipino family can celebrate Christmas with just P500 to spend for Noche Buena.

“Well, definitely, hindi kasya ‘yan dahil kung we’re talking about a family of five, tapos divide mo by five, then P100 per person. Ang Noche Buena, typically, alam naman natin, it’s a celebration,” Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said in a Zoom interview with reporters.

(Well, definitely, it’s not enough. If we’re talking about a family of five, dividing P500 by five gives only P100 per person. Noche Buena, as we know, is a celebration.)

“So, tingin ko parang hindi realistic yung P500 for a family of five. Typically nga, ang Noche Buena pa, mas malaki pa. So, hindi realistic ‘yan, ‘yung P500,” he added.

(So, I think P500 for a family of five is not realistic. Noche Buena is usually more grand, so P500 is not realistic.)

The DTI earlier maintained that a P500 Noche Buena is still feasible this year, to drive the message that prices of food commodities have been stable as the holidays approach. 

But Trade Secretary Cristina Roque later clarified that the P500 for noche buena only applies to a family of four and with a pared-down menu.

“The Noche Buena items for this year, the majority of them have no price increase from last year,” she said. 

For his part, Gatchalian noted that the cost of a Noche Buena feast varies per family, as he sought to confirm the DTI's claim of stable food prices. 

“In fairness naman sa administration, mababa ang inflation natin. If you notice for the last few quarters, hindi tayo nagbe-breach ng 2%. Nasa around between 1.4 to maybe 1.7 [percent]," he said.

(In fairness to the administration, inflation is low. Over the last few quarters, it has not breached 2%, staying around 1.4 to 1.7 percent.)

"At kung makikita natin ‘yung components, bumaba ang presyo ng bigas at presyo ng pagkain (If we look at the components, the price of rice and food has decreased),” the senator said.

He lauded the efforts of the Marcos administration in managing the country's inflation rate.

“So, in fairness naman sa administration, napababa nila ‘yung inflation. Ito ‘yung pagtaas ng presyo. So, ang importante ngayon, consistently mababa. Kasi kung tumaas ang presyo ng pagkain, talagang isa ‘yan sa mga magiging hinaing ng tao,” he said

(So, in fairness to the administration, they have managed to ease inflation. The important thing now is that it remains consistently low, because if food prices rise, that would definitely be one of the public’s main complaints.)—MCG, GMA Integrated News