24/12/2025
๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ก | ๐ โฑ500 ๐๐น๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต
๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฐ
Noche Buena in the Philippines is a Filipino Christmas Eve feast, a tradition that dates back to Spanish colonial times. Celebrated every 24th of December, it begins after families attend Misa de Gallo, a midnight Mass that marks the spiritual climax of the Christmas season. Families then gather for a bountiful meal filled with traditional dishes such as hamon (ham), pancit (noodles), queso de bola (cheese ball), and various sweet treatsโsymbolizing love, togetherness, sacrifice, and gratitude within the Filipino household. More than just food, Noche Buena represents a rare moment of rest and reunion, especially for families who endure financial hardship throughout the year.
Weeks ago, however, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) made a tone-deaf suggestion that a Filipino family could prepare a โsimpleโ Noche Buena for only โฑ500, as reflected in its 2025 Noche Buena Price Guide. While the proposal may have been intended as a cost-saving reference, it drew strong criticism and disappointment from the public. Many expressed that while minimalism may be practical in theory, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ด๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐.
On November 28, a report aired on 24 Oras stated that DTI Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque reiterated that โฑ500 is indeed enough for a Noche Buena meal for a family of four or fewer. โFor โฑ500 kasama na 'yung Christmas ham, spaghetti, fruit salad, macaroni salad, and Pinoy pandesal na 10 pieces,โ she insisted. She further argued that affordability depends on the number of people eating and portion sizes. While technically logical, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
According to the DTIโs own price guide, some of the listed ingredients include:
โข 500g Ham โ โฑ170
โข 175g Spaghetti โ โฑ32.50
โข 200g Carbonara โ โฑ39.95
โข 432g Tropical Fruit Cocktail โ โฑ61.76
โข 110ml All-Purpose Cream โ โฑ36.50
โข 200g Salad Macaroni โ โฑ36.50
โAll of those prices were taken from the Noche Buena price guide of the DTI. Puwede diskartehan, definitely,โ Secretary Roque said, questioning why the public made โa big dealโ out of it. Yet this very statement highlights the disconnect. While prices may appear feasible on paper, they do not reflect actual market conditions, particularly in public markets and small groceries where many Filipinos shop. Transportation costs, cooking fuel, condiments, electricity, and even riceโan essential part of most Filipino mealsโare noticeably absent from the computation.
More importantly, ๐๐ต๐ฒ โฑ500 ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ. Many families rely on minimum wage, contractual work, or informal employment, with incomes that barely cover rent, utilities, education, and healthcare. For these households, Christmas is not about extravagance but dignityโa brief chance to enjoy a fuller meal after months of sacrifice. ๐ฆ๐๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ โฑ500 ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น โ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ.โ
Reports from Philstar and ABS-CBN indicate that the realistic cost of a modest Noche Buena now ranges from โฑ800 to over โฑ1,500, depending on family size and location. This figure aligns more closely with public sentiment and actual consumer experiences. Inflation has not only increased food prices but also eroded purchasing power, making it increasingly difficult for families to celebrate traditions meaningfully.
Following the controversy, ABS-CBN News opened a public discussion through , asking: โAno ang saloobin mo sa pahayag ng DTI na kasya ang P500 para sa Noche Buena?โ Responses ranged from humor to outright frustration. One netizen challenged the DTI Secretary to personally prepare a Noche Buena with a โฑ500 budget and document the experience. Another remarked, โNoong 70โsโ80โs puwede โyan,โ capturing the sentiment that the proposal belongs to a different era.
These reactions underscore a deeper issue: ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ. The โฑ500 Noche Buena suggestion offered false hope rather than genuine assistance. Instead of empowering families, ๐ถ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ป๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ, ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio described it as โ๐ฎ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ด๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐,โ a sentiment widely echoed across social media.
While Secretary Roque may have intended to help by offering a budget-friendly guide, ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐. In a time when Filipinos are grappling with unemployment, rising prices, and visible government excess, ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ด๐น๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ.
Noche Buena is not about luxury but about recognizing hardship, honoring shared resilience, and finding joy in being together. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐. ๐๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ.
๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟโ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ: This article reflects the authorโs personal perspectives and should not be construed as representing the official stance of the publication or Kabankalan Catholic College, Inc.
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