Photo source: Senator Win Gatchalian/Facebook
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said a P500 budget is not enough for a family of five to prepare a proper Noche Buena meal.
In an online briefing, Gatchalian was asked to respond to Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque’s claim that P500 is sufficient for a family’s Christmas Eve dinner.
He said dividing P500 among five people would amount to only P100 per person, which does not reflect the celebratory nature of Noche Buena.
“Definitely, that’s not enough… Noche Buena, as we know, is typically a celebration,” he said.
Gatchalian added that holiday spending varies per household but maintained that P500 remains insufficient based on his own analysis.
He later noted that the Marcos administration is working to bring inflation below 2 percent to ease pressure on household expenses.
He said inflation currently ranges between 1.4 and 1.7 percent, which has helped bring down prices of rice and some food products.
“So, in fairness to the administration, they were able to bring inflation down,” he said.
Gatchalian stressed that sustaining low prices remains crucial, saying food costs are among the public’s biggest concerns.
