It takes a special kind of talent to unite the internet, but Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque managed to do just that—though not in the way she likely intended.
As the country prepares for Christmas, the Trade Chief has sparked a debate about affordability and food prices after saying that PHP500 is enough for Noche Buena.
The remark drew jeers from Filipinos, who traditionally regard Noche Buena as a feast of abundance.
Now, let’s find out more about the woman at the center of it all: Who is Cristina Aldeguer-Roque?
CRISTINA ROQUE: BASIC INFORMATION
The 57-year-old trade secretary is married to businessman Gun Roque, and is the older sister of former cager Dino Aldeguer.
She graduated with a degree in Industrial Management Engineering from De La Salle University.
FOUNDER OF KAMISETA
Roque is a stalwart pillar of Philippine business.
The sector celebrates her achievement as the founder of Kamiseta Clothing, a fashion brand that has around 40 branches around the country.
Kamiseta is known for its stylish ready-to-wear designs for women.
It also ventured into the skin clinic business, which now has five branches across Metro Manila. Marian Rivera is its endorser.
Roque founded Kamiseta in 1990.
“When I was just starting with Kamiseta Clothing, I was really struggling because of my limited resources. But I still gave it my all. Lahat ng lakas ko, everything I am, I gave to the brand,” she told Ricky Lo in an interview with the Philippine Star in 2020.
Her father gave her 6,000 pesos to fund her clothing business.
“I knew it was not enough, but I was ashamed to ask for more. Inisip ko na lang kung paano pagkakasyahin,” she said.
She then worked hard to showcase her designs in the now-defunct fashion retail chain Sari-Sari.
“Kamiseta became my priority. Wala na akong ibang inisip except kailangan kong galingan ito.
"I was the one buying the fabrics, loading the fabrics into my car, delivering the clothes to the store, fixing the merchandise, making the designs, dispatching the designs to sewers, buying the buttons, buying the threads.
"You name it, I did it all!
"I was also the saleslady. Binuhos ko lahat,” Roque told Philippine Star.
Later on, she opened her own boutique in SM Megamall, and the rest is fashion history.
CRISTINA ROQUE SETS FOOT IN GOVERNMENT
Roque was already serving in the DTI before she became its secretary.
She served as Trade Undersecretary from February to July 2024.
In this role, she headed the MSME Development Group, where she led efforts to advance the interests of the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises.
She was promoted to the top DTI post in August 2024 following the sudden resignation of Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
The Commission on Appointments confirmed her ad interim appointment in November 2024.
She said at the time: “The MSME is a sector we cannot ignore, being 99.5 percent of the business establishments and 60 percent of the labor force.
"Therefore, we need to ensure their development, as well as we must realize that they are the game changers of our economy."
Roque then presented a five-point plan to achieve this:
- Utilization of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalization
- Diversification
- Funding the business sector
- Franchising
- Mentoring and providing strategic learning.
THE TRUSTMARK ISSUE
A year later, the MSMEs voiced their objections to the mandatory Trustmark requirement for all online retailers, starting in August 2025.
The Trustmark was introduced by the DTI as a digital badge to confirm the legitimacy of online sellers.
How to get it?
They must submit their documents online, undergo a rigorous screening, then pay a yearly fee of 1,130 pesos.
MSME groups slammed the Trustmark as an additional burden and a barrier.
Senator Bam Aquino also called out the expensive annual fee, which will mostly affect small retailers who already endure the smallest of margins just to keep their businesses afloat.
"Mas mabuti kung gagawin na lang itong libre ng DTI. Marami na silang matutulungang MSMEs, mahihikayat pa nila ang ibang negosyo na pumasok online para mapalawak ang kanilang merkado,” the senator said in a statement in October 2025.
He also assailed the timing of the requirement.
“Lumilitaw, para na rin itong buwis na dapat bayaran ng ating online traders taun-taon. Hindi ito napapanahon, lalo ngayong mainit ang isyu na napupunta lang sa katiwalian ang buwis na binabayaran ng taumbayan,” explained Aquino.
After months of dialogue and protest, the DTI has relaxed the Trustmark requirement and made it voluntary.
NOCHE BUENA ON A BUDGET
Months after the Trustmark controversy, Roque made headlines again following her remark about the Christmas Noche Buena budget.
“Kung tutuusin, PHP500 makakabili na kayo ng ham. Makakagawa ka na ng macaroni salad, makakagawa ka na rin ng spaghetti. Depende rin po iyan kung ilan yung kakain,” Roque remarked in a radio interview with DZMM on November 27, 2025.
What she said caused an uproar, but Roque doubled down on her initial statement.
She also instructed her department to release a price list to help Filipinos achieve her budgeted Noche Buena.
And based on that price list, a family of four can get a half-kilo of ham for 170 pesos, a quarter-kilo of dry spaghetti pasta for 30 pesos, and matching spaghetti sauce for 48.50 pesos. Then the family can still add macaroni, mayonnaise, cheese, and pandesal.
“It’s really possible for a family of four,” Roque insisted.