After the P500 noche buena budget controversy, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque is again the subject of a viral quote card posted on Facebook claiming she had said that P1,000 is enough for a family to survive for one week. This is fake.
The FB page published a fabricated graphic card on Dec. 10 with a photo of Roque, bearing a quote that read:
“Sapat na ang P1,000 para mabuhay ang pamilya sa loob ng isang linggo.
(P1,000 is enough for a family to survive for a week).”
In the caption, the page further claimed that the statement was based on a supposed recent survey released by the DTI secretary. The fake photo has been reposted by other users on the same platform multiple times.
A keyword search on Google using the full quote yielded no credible sources or reports confirming that Roque made such a statement. The results showed only similar fake posts that copied and pasted the baseless remark.
Contrary to the claim, there is no recent survey on a weekly budget released by Roque or the DTI, based on a review of the department’s official social media pages and website.
The photo of Roque used in the spurious card is unrelated and was taken on April 9 during the opening of the 2025 DTI-Bagong Pilipinas National Food Fair at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
The image includes a clickable link directing to an online shopping site, a tactic often used to take advantage of posts with high engagement and drive product clicks.
The fake post surfaced after Roque sparked controversy with her statement that P500 is enough for a noche buena meal for a small family. The comment drew public backlash, with many calling it unrealistic and insulting. Roque, however, maintained that the amount is indeed sufficient for a basic Christmas Eve meal for a family of four or fewer.
VERA Files has flagged a similar claim attributing a fake quote to the DTI secretary (READ: DTI’s Roque did NOT apologize over ‘P500 noche buena’)
Shared by FB page The Buzz Scope, the fake post has so far garnered over 34,000 reactions, 17,000 shares and 12,900 comments. Other copies published by FB users Baby Loe and Ms.Filcanarota 8689 collectively earned 44,000 reactions, 20,000 comments and 29,000 shares.
