Marife Dhoctor, 43, a domestic helper in the Philippines, is looking forward to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, when families gather to savour festive dishes and exchange gifts.
However, rising prices of goods have forced her family of five to stretch their meagre budget as they plan for the annual feast known as Noche Buena or “the good night”.
Dhoctor and her husband, who works as a construction worker, earn a combined daily wage of just over 1,000 pesos (US$17). As building projects are erratic, the family survives on Dhoctor’s wage of 500 pesos (US$8.50). The couple have three children, two of whom are in university.
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“Our children go to school daily and need allowance … how far can 500 pesos take us?” she told This Week in Asia.
As many Filipinos like Dhoctor and her family struggle with the higher cost of living, a recent comment about the Christmas Eve feast by Trade Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque has struck a raw nerve in the country for being tone-deaf.
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Roque told a radio programme on November 27 that a budget of 500 pesos was enough for a family of four to host a “basic” Noche Buena dinner.