With the upcoming school year just around the corner, the Department of Trade and Industry has released the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies to assist consumers in their purchase of
The price guide includes specific brands of notebooks (composition, spiral, and writing), pad paper (grades 1 to 4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
As of July, notebook prices range from P23 to P52, while grades 1 to 4 pad paper prices vary from P21 to P28.
Intermediate pad paper, on the other hand, costs from P31 to P48.75.
Prices of writing materials such as pencils and ballpoint pens range from P11 to P17 and from P9.75 to P19, respectively.
Depending on the brand, consumers may purchase a box of crayons with eight colors for as low as P12 to as high as P34. A 12-color pack costs P32 while the price of a 16-color pack varies from P24 to P69.
Meanwhile, an eraser at small, medium, and large sizes, has a price range from P4.50 to P20. Sharpeners and rulers are priced at P18 to P69 and P22 to P27.75, respectively.
“While prices of some products have remained unaffected by recent market trends, other school supplies saw price increases. This is primarily due to increased global cost of basic raw materials,” said DTI Consumer Protection Group Usec. Atty. Ruth B. Castelo.
Atty. M. Marcus N. Valdez II, DTI Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau director, emphasized the DTI is closely coordinating with the manufacturers of school supplies to ensure that prices are reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market.
The Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies was released on July 25 and the public may access the SRP bulletin for school supplies via the DTI website as part of its commitment to its mandate of promoting fair trade practices and safeguarding consumer welfare.
The Price Act or Republic Act 7581 classifies school supplies as prime commodities.
For consumer-related concerns and queries, send an email to [email protected] or reach DTI through the One-DTI (1-384) Hotline. – Press release
