HOax, HOax, HOax

Tristen Rebong | December 04, 2025

The unjust state of our government once again shrugs off the brutal reality of poverty as it stands firm on Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque’s claim that ₱500 can fund an entire Noche Buena meal, as if a family can gather around dry spaghetti, half a can of fruit cocktail, and the cheapest possible ham. Even the enraged public already ridiculed the idea as tone-deaf, the Palace insisted the issue was “doability” and not realism.

What makes this defense morally repugnant to me and my fellow Filipinos is the sheer audacity layered on how they talk about “basic” meals as if it’s normal to strip Noche Buena into meager survival rations. Our own leaders who boast good governance speak with disturbing confidence as though they fully grasp the hardships of ordinary families. I firmly believe that this faulty policymaking clearly dehumanizes the poor as statistics instead of people with dignity. It reeks of a government that has not held a grocery basket in years.

Even the cheapest Christmas ham hovers around ₱170 to ₱220, spaghetti noodles and sauce cost ₱80 to ₱120, and fruit cocktail plus cream ranges from ₱140 to ₱180 from the DTI price guide itself. Add bread, cheese, or even a token hotdog pack and the total breaches ₱500 before you hit the cashier. Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reports that food inflation continues to outpace pitifully stagnant wages, leaving the poorest households desperately scrambling for daily meals.

I am extremely appalled at how we remained trapped in the vicious cycle of minimizing the crisis and blaming the citizens, a rot that has consistently infested our decaying nation. Even with a supposedly adequate Noche Buena, ₱500 barely scratches the surface of what is needed, yet politicians who claim to advocate for public service speak as though hunger is just exaggerated noise and forcibly leads us to scrounge for scraps and crumbs.

Nonetheless, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro flaunts about how experts like Steve Cua of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association Inc. “maximize creativity” in asserting that ₱500 is enough. However, this harrowing issue need not be treated like a mere craft project at all. Such horrendous statements belittle poverty and moralize struggle while comfortably untouched from the harsh reality the higher-ups ignore. Nothing but hypocrisy masked as empathy.

Moreover, Antipolo Bishop Ruperto Santos rightly criticized the ₱500 budget, reminding us that Christmas is not a time for scrimping, rather, for the celebration of generosity. Even his claim shows how love and joy are being robbed in the very time of a holiday. It is truly grim how the Philippine officials themselves deprive us to strip the meals down to the barest essentials.

The government must address these issues and delusional budgets are not the solution. Concrete measures such as enforcing price regulation, cracking down on hoarding, and providing subsidies for low-income families must be implemented immediately. Minimum wages should reflect current inflation, not lag behind it, forcing families to skimp even during important holidays. In addition, tackling the persistent systemic corruption that has been long overdue especially in essential programs of food security would ensure resources reach the people who need them most.

It is time for the public to demand accountability and refuse to accept the normalization of poverty disguised as policy. Those who are seated must be held responsible for statements and programs that trivialize inequality. Pressure, scrutiny, and civic vigilance are the tools we have to reclaim both the spirit of Noche Buena and the dignity of Filipino households. Christmas should be a time of love and faith, not a fantasy of governmental deficiency that slaps us with a hoax.