The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) criticized the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for insisting that a family of four can prepare noche buena on a ₱500 budget.
House Deputy Speaker and TUCP Partylist Representative Raymond Mendoza said the claim was detached from the reality facing Filipinos, especially amid protests over corruption and substandard flood control projects, as well as stalled measures such as the proposed ₱200 daily minimum wage increase.
“It is out of this world, out of touch, and completely out of tune with the harsh reality our people live every day,” Mendoza said.
He is pushing for the passage of a bill that would raise the minimum daily wage of private-sector workers by ₱200.
DTI Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque earlier maintained that ₱500 could be enough for noche buena for a four-member household, while Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the budget would depend on what families choose to buy.
Mendoza said Roque and Castro should stop lecturing ordinary Filipinos on how to stretch their budgets.
“Rather than setting what should be ‘enough,’ the Government must ensure that everyday Filipinos earn enough, either by taking less through taxes or giving more through wage increases. Trust will never be rebuilt by a Government that can justify a ₱500 Noche Buena while blocking a ₱200 wage hike,” he added.