A quote card posted on Facebook claims that Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque has retracted her controversial statement that P500 is enough for noche buena and apologized for it. This is fake.
A cursory search of the entire quote and a keyword search using only parts of the remark yielded no verified records of Roque issuing such a statement. No legitimate news organization has reported on it either.
Posted by an FB user on Dec. 5, the graphic card featured an old, unrelated photo of Roque answering questions from the press, published by the Philippine News Agency on Sept. 10, 2024. The Trade secretary’s supposed apology read:
“sorry filipino i apologize , Dipo talaga kasya 500 sa noche buena kase Ang taas ng bilihin.
(Sorry, Filipino, I apologize, P500 really isn’t enough for noche buena because prices are so high.)”
When asked during a Nov. 27 DZMM Teleradyo interview if a family of three can have a noche buena worth P500, Roque agreed and said:
“Kung tutuusin, [sa] P500, makakabili na kayo ng ham. Makakagawa ka na ng macaroni salad, makakagawa ka na rin ng spaghetti. Depende rin po ‘yan kung ilan ‘yung kakain. Depende rin ‘yan kung ano talagang gusto mong ihain.”
Roque advised consumers to check DTI’s website and social media pages for the current prices of basic goods and noche buena items, noting that some products have either seen price rollbacks or no increases.
Despite the public backlash, the Trade secretary insisted on her “P500 noche buena budget” claim, saying “it is possible for a family of four,” based on the DTI noche buena price guide released in November. A majority of the noche buena items for this year “have no price increase from last year,” she added.
In her most recent press conference on Nov. 28, Roque said the P500 budget is for those who want a “regular” noche buena or have a limited budget, adding that “not everybody wants to celebrate ostentatiously.”
Roque did not backpedal from her earlier P500 noche buena remark nor apologize to the public during the press briefing.
As of Dec. 9, no apology statement has been released on the official social media pages of both the DTI and Roque.
The bogus card surfaced as Roque faced criticisms from the general public, an economic watchdog, a labor group, celebrities and even government officials, with some calling her claims “obviously false,” “insulting” and “tone-deaf.”
Published by FB user Khen Doll, the bogus quote card has received 17,000 reactions, 7,500 comments and 825 shares as of writing.