By CESAR JOLITO III
With just seven days before Christmas Eve, the National Democratic Front (NDF) in the Negros Island Region has challenged the government’s claim that a P500 budget is sufficient for a Noche Buena spread, urging instead a stronger push to develop local industries and revitalize the agricultural sector to ease the burden on ordinary workers.
In a statement, the NDF said the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) P500 Noche Buena price stand does not reflect the economic realities faced by many Negrenses, particularly farm and plantation workers who earn far below the regional living wage.
The group noted that while the current minimum wage in Negros Island is around P500 per day for some contractual and government workers in urban areas like Bacolod City, farmworkers typically receive only P300 to P400 daily, while plantation workers earn about P250 to P350 with just two to three working days a week.
This, the NDF stressed, is significantly lower than the estimated 2024 family living wage in Negros of P1,024 per day.
According to the NDF, many residents are forced to rely on irregular and precarious jobs beyond work in haciendas and plantations, making it difficult for families to meet basic needs such as food, education, utilities, and loan payments — let alone afford a decent Noche Buena.
The group described the DTI’s pronouncement as “apathetic and out of touch,” arguing that it underscores the government’s failure to understand the daily struggles of Filipino families, particularly in agricultural regions like Negros Island.
The NDF maintained that ensuring an affordable and dignified Noche Buena requires long-term solutions, including the development of strong local industries and the revitalization of agriculture through genuine land reform and sufficient support for farmers.
It also criticized the government’s continued reliance on foreign imports and the sale of local exports at low prices, warning that such policies contribute to rising costs of basic goods.
While ordinary wage earners struggle to put food on the table as Christmas approaches, the NDF added, the government continues to face allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds.
The group called on authorities to prioritize justice, accountability and policies that genuinely address hunger and poverty.
“A proper and dignified noche buena is only possible under a people-centered government where production benefits the majority and corruption is immediately held to account,” the NDF stressed./CJ, WDJ