Chito Miranda defends wife Neri Naig’s budget meal plan: ‘She did the math’

Chito Miranda and Neri Naig-Miranda. Left, Neri’s controversial budget meal plan. Images from Instagram, Facebook upload

Parokya ni Edgar frontman Chito Miranda came to the defense of his wife, Neri Naig, whose P1,000 per week budget meal plan became viral on social media, saying she did the math.

On Facebook, Miranda claimed that it was a “cruel, cruel world” after netizens bashed Naig’s sample budget meal plan when her intention was only to guide those having trouble budgeting, and to use it just as a “starting point.”

Naig’s post showed a sample meal plan that included proteins, vegetables, and grains for just P1,000 a week which she said could tide over a family of two to four.

However, almost immediately after posting her meal plan, social media exploded with indignation, accusing the actress-entrepreneur of “richsplaining,” a somewhat derogatory term for when a person who hasn’t experienced poverty gives a patronizing advice to a poor person, while versions of budget meal plans sprouted — from more realistic budget meal ideas, to tongue-in-cheek memes.

Following the outrage from some quarters, Naig was forced to delete her post, though some netizens were able to take a screenshot and re-uploaded it on social media.

But Miranda would have none of it. He said that while the budget meal plan was just “mostly for fun,” his wife thought it could be a useful idea, while the meals she listed were relatively healthy and could be done with the amount set.

“It was detailed, and had the proper costing to back it up. She did the math. She also reminded those who will be using her meal plan to add portions as needed, depending on their family’s size and appetite. Sinabi nya din na the meal plan was merely a guide which they could use as a starting point,” he said, as he admitted that this wasn’t the same meal plan that they used in their own household with 10 members.

As Naig already made a meal plan for a P2,000 budget, “The Voice Generations” coach said his wife made the “crucial mistake” of not elaborating on her P1,000 meal plan since, in her mind, she was just addressing her previous audience who already knew about her intention to create a budget-friendly menu.

“Since it was intended for those who already knew what she was doing, she made the crucial mistake of not filling in the details. It was soon picked up by those who knew nothing of what she was doing, and was instantly bashed for it. Grabe diba?” he said of Naig, who just recently celebrated her 40th birthday.

“Naisip lang naman ng asawa ko na baka sakaling makatulong yung meal plan nya sa mga tao that might find it useful, na-bash pa sya ng mga taong hindi naman nakasubaybay kung bakit ginagawa nya yung meal plan. What a cruel, cruel world,” he added.

As parting words, Miranda said that those who criticized his wife had more things going for their character than the object of their ridicule.

Naig, who has long been an advocate of backyard farming and self-sustainability, owned a number of business ventures that are mostly food related — a farm-to-table, all-day breakfast restaurant in Tagaytay; several branches of an inasal chicken house; a Korean barbecue place in Cebu; several franchises of an Italian restaurant chain; and, a gourmet tuyo business.

The former “Star Circle Quest” alum likewise ran a number of business ventures, such as a salon in Cebu and several properties for rent.