The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has stated that ₱500 is sufficient to prepare a Filipino family's Noche Buena meal. In an interview, DTI Secretary Cristina Roque said that with ₱500, households can buy ingredients for traditional holiday dishes such as ham, macaroni salad, and spaghetti. "If you think about it, with ₱500, you can already buy ham. You can make macaroni salad, you can make spaghetti, it also depends on the number of people who will eat," Roque said. She added that the actual budget would still depend on the size of the family and the variety of dishes served. The statement drew criticism from Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, who called the claim unrealistic. "This is not the first time the Department of Trade and Industry has insisted that ₱500 is enough for an ordinary family's Noche Buena. They have done this before; the only difference now is that it is DTI Secretary Cristina Roque herself who is saying it is okay and sufficient," said Ridon. Meanwhile, Kabataan Partylist warned that a "paskong gipit" (tight Christmas) should not be glorified and criticized it as a symptom of government corruption.
