The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned consumers of price hikes on school supplies for the school year 2023-2024 following the global increase in the price of raw materials.
“The DTI notes that while the price of some items has remained the same, the price of others may increase due to the impact of the global increase in the cost of basic materials on the price of school supplies,” said Trade Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Ruth Castelo.
In the recently published Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies, the suggested retail price (SRP) of almost all school supply stock-keeping units (SKUs) has increased by as much as P9.
The price guide includes 91 SKUS of specific brands of notebooks – composition, spiral, and writing, pad paper for Grades 1 to 4 and intermediate, pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
As of July 2023, notebook prices range from P23.00 to P52.00 with an increase of P5.50 to P7 per unit, while Grades 1 to 4 pad paper prices vary from P21.00 to P28.00. Intermediate pad paper, on the other hand, costs from P31.00 to P48.75, reflecting price increases of P7 to P9.25 per unit.
Prices of writing materials such as pencils increased along the range of P11 to P17 a unit, and ballpoint pens from P9.75 to P19 per piece.
An 8-piece crayon set is priced from P12 to P34 per unit while 12-piece sets cost P32 and a -16-pack set, from P24 to P69, depending on the brand.
Meanwhile, prices of erasers range from P4.50 to P20 while sharpeners and rulers cost P18 to P69 and P22 to P27.75, respectively.
The DTI noted that after 2 years of using various learning modalities, schools have restored physical attendance in schools since 2022 and which is timely since the President has recently lifted the State of Public Health Emergency nationwide.
The DTI continues to support the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Balik Eskwela program by issuing a price guide for school supplies.
“The DTI is closely coordinating with the manufacturers of school supplies to ensure that prices are reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market,” said DTI Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau director Marcus N. Valdez II.
The DTI published the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies yesterday in a broadsheet of national coverage. The DTI encouraged the public to access the SRP Bulletin for school supplies on the DTI website.
The DTI remains committed to its mandate of promoting fair trade practices and safeguarding consumer welfare. School supplies are categorized as basic commodities under the Consumer Price Act.
