Makati City, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies, a price guide for consumers in purchasing school items as the new school year begins on July 29.

The price guide reaffirms the DTI’s support for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Balik Eskwela program. It includes specific brands of notebooks (writing, composition, spiral, and yarn), pad paper (Grades 1-4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.

A total of 173 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) of school supplies were submitted this year, an increase of 56 SKUs compared to the previous year. Compared to last year’s set of SKUs, 68% or 80 SKUs of the 117 SKUs recorded no price movement while 8% or 9 SKUs had decreased prices. In addition, only 24% or 28 SKUs showed an increase in prices.

This year, notebook prices range from PHP11.80 to PHP52.00, while Grades 1-4 pad paper prices vary from PHP 9.50 to PHP61.00. Intermediate pad paper, on the other hand, is priced from PHP 13.80 to PHP48.75.

Prices of writing materials such as pencils and ballpoint pens range from PHP11.00 to PHP33.00 and PHP3.00 to PHP33.00, respectively. Depending on the brand, consumers may purchase a box of crayons with eight colors for as low as PHP12.00 (regular) to as high as PHP65.00 (jumbo). A 12-color pack costs PHP32.00, while the price of a 16-color pack varies from PHP24.00 to PHP83.00, and a 24-color pack costs PHP34.00 to PHP114.00.

Sharpeners and rulers are priced at PHP15.00 to PHP69.00 and PHP16.00 to PHP29.00, respectively. Meanwhile, erasers at small, medium, and large sizes range from PHP4.50 to PHP20.00, with no price movement from last year.

Furthermore, the DTI reminds consumers to check the labels of school supplies. The labels must have the name and address of the manufacturer or importer, and the number of leaves must be indicated in notebooks and paper, among others.

“I urge consumers to buy school supplies from companies that comply with labeling requirements and use the Gabay in shopping. The Gabay indicates which SKUs have not increased or have retained their prices,” said DTI Secretary Fred Pascual.

As part of the DTI’s goal to empower and care for consumers, this guide champions consumer rights and protection. Through established mechanisms, we empower consumers, raise awareness of their rights, and strengthen monitoring and enforcement across all businesses to safeguard product quality standards.

The Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies will be posted on the DTI website. For consumer-related concerns and queries, you may send an email to ConsumerCare@dti.gov.ph or reach us through the One-DTI (1-384) Hotline. ♦

Date of release: 03 July 2024

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