Members of the Makabayan bloc went off on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)--and the whole Marcos administration for that matter--after an official claimed that a budget of ₱500 was ample budget for a Filipino Noche Buena meal.

Needless to say, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co were all insulted by the ₱500 Noche Buena budget.

It all started when DTI Secretary Cristina Roque reportedly said a ₱500 budget was enough to purchase ham, macaroni salad, and spaghetti--fixtures of a traditional Filipino Noche Buena--"depending on how many people are eating".

"How dare the DTI insult Filipino families with this outrageous claim that P500 is enough for Noche Buena? Anong klaseng Pasko yan—konting noodles, itlog at tubig na lang? (What kind of Christmas are they talking about--just a bit of noodles, egg, and water will do? )This is a slap in the face to every working Filipino struggling to make ends meet," Tinio said in a statement.

He noted the bitter irony of the DTI statement coming amid revelations of massive corruption in the 2025 national budget.

"Habang nagpapakasasa ang mga contractor at mga kasabwat nila sa gobyerno sa pera ng bayan—billions in kickbacks from budget insertions—sinusubukan namang utuin ng parehong gobyerno ang mamamayan na maghigpit ng sinturon at pagkasyahin ang kanilang kakarampot na sahod," he said.

(While contractors and their accomplices in government indulge themselves with the people’s money—billions in kickbacks from budget insertions—the same government is trying to fool citizens into tightening their belts and making do with their meager wages.)

"The DTI's statement is not just tone-deaf—it is a deliberate attempt to normalize poverty and gaslight the Filipino people into accepting deprivation while the corrupt elite feast on public funds. Sinungaling at mapang-api ang ganitong siste ng gobyerno (This system of government is a lie and is oppressive)," Tinio added.

Elago reckoned that the government was "out of touch...with the real struggles of Filipino households, especially women who shoulder food budgeting amid soaring prices.

“Bilyon-bilyon pa ang kinukurakot ng mga korap sa pondo ng taumbayan, tapos sa ating mga kababaihan — ₱500 daw po sapat na? (Billions more are being stolen by the corrupt from the people’s funds, and yet for our women — they say ₱500 is enough?)" she asked.

She said that instead of downplaying the crisis, the government should confront the harsh realities: food inflation remains high, basic goods continue to rise, and wages remain far below family living wage levels.

“Kung talagang gusto ng gobyerno na mapagaan ang gastos ng pamilya sa Pasko, ibasura nila ang 12 percent VAT (value-added tax) sa pangunahing bilihin. ‘Wag na silang mag-imbento na kesyo ₱500 ay sapat na — alam naman ng lahat na hindi,” noted Elago.

(If the government truly wants to ease the expenses of families this Christmas, they should scrap the 12 percent VAT on basic goods. They should stop inventing claims that ₱500 is enough — everyone knows it is not.)

For her part, Co said that the corrupt should be the ones who should be forced to endure a ₱500 Noche Buena budget, and not the ordinary Filipinos.

"Huwag nating lokohin ang mga Pilipino na marangal ang paskong gipit. Dapat ang mga korap ang pagtiisin sa 500 pisong Noche Buena. Isoli na ang ninakaw. Ibaba ang presyo. Itaas ang sahod. At ang first step dito, dapat may big-time na managot," she said.

(Let us not fool Filipinos into thinking that a meager Christmas is honorable. It should be the corrupt who endure a ₱500 Noche Buena. Return what was stolen. Lower the prices. Raise the wages. And the first step here is that someone big must be held accountable.)

"Siguro di naramdaman ng gobyerno ang pagtaas ng presyo sa buong taon kasi umuulan pa ng kickback (Perhaps the government did not feel the rise in prices throughout the year because it was still raining kickbacks)," Co said, in obvious reference to the flood control projects controversy.