ILOILO City – As school year 2023-2024 opens and parents scramble to buy supplies, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 6 is urging the public to be mindful of their purchases.
Rachel Nufable, DTI-6 officer-in-charge assistant regional director, said quality and safety are important.
“Let us be vigilant. Let’s be mapagpanuri or mapagpangusisa. Tan-awon naton ang labels sang ginabakal naton,” Nufable told Panay News yesterday morning.
She also stressed the importance of checking product labels for information such as the number of leaves or sheets.
“Kinahanglan kabalo kita mangusisa. Basahon ang label sang ginabakal like sa pad paper kon ano bala nga materials made of,” said Nufable.
For crayons, parents or guardians should check the label that this includes “non-toxic” or “passed the required toxicity level.”
The DTI central office issued an order on July 25, 2023 to implement the new Suggested Retail Price (SRP), or Gabay sa Pamimili ng Schools Supplies 2023.
Under the memorandum, eight school supplies follow a new SRP: notebooks, pad paper, writing materials, ballpen, crayons, eraser, sharpener, and ruler.
“May ara pagsaka based sang 2022 kag sa subong nga year. Ang rason sang aton distributors or manufacturers ngaa nagsaka ang presyo because of the acquisition cost sang raw materials nga ginagamit diri,” Nufable explained.
The price ranges of school supplies with the new SRP are as follows:
Notebooks
* writing and composition – from P20 to P44 in 2022 to P23 to P52 this year
* spiral – from P21 to P37.75 in 2022 to P28 to P46 this year
* yarn – from P22 to P27.75 in 2022 to P28 to P46 this year
Pad paper
* grades 1 to 4 – from P18 to P24 in 2022 to P21 to P28 this year
* intermediate pad – from P21.75 to P38.75 in 2022 to P31 to P48.75 this year
Writing materials
* pencil (per piece) – from P8.25 to P13.25 in 2022 to P11 to P17 this year
* pencil (3 pieces) – no changes, P18 to P33
Ballpen
* ballpen (piece) – from P8.75 to P19 in 2022 to P9.25 to P19 this year
* ballpen (3 pieces) – from P24 to P33 in 2022 to P24 to P33 this year
Crayons
* eight colors (set/box) – from P12 to P29 in 2022 to P12 to P34
* 12 colors (set/box) – no changes, P32
* 18 colors (set/box) – from P24 to P59 in 2022 to P24 to P69 this year
* 24 colors (set/box) – from P34 to P79 in 2022 to P34 to P95 this year
Eraser
* small to large (piece) – from P4.50 to P20 in 2022 to P4.50 to P20 this year
Sharpener
* one hole and two holes (piece) – from P18 to P64 in 2022 to P18 to P69 this year
Ruler
* 12 inches (piece) – from P22 to P27 in 2022 to P22 to P27.75 this year
“Ang price range sang pagsaka nagkalain-lain base sa produkto kag brand, pero may ara man products nga na-maintain ang presyo,” said Nufable.
Compliance of establishments
So far, DTI-6 has not received complaints from consumers about establishments and retailers going over the SRP.
The agency also conducts monthly monitoring through all of its provincial offices in Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental, as well as weekly monitoring in Iloilo City as a center of trade and commerce in the region.
What happens when there are violations?
Stores or retailers that exceed the SRP are given a letter of inquiry and are asked to explain, according to Nufable.
If the retailers or stores cannot justify the violation, the DTI-6 will endorse an investigation.
Once it is proven that there is “profiteering”, the store or retailer may face charges for violation of Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act.
Illegal price manipulation of any basic necessity or prime commodity has a penalty of imprisonment for not less than five years nor more than 15 years and a fine of not less than P5,000 nor more than P2,000,000.
But Nufable said stores and retailers in the region have been compliant.
She also said school supplies in the region remain sufficient.
Panay News went around Iloilo City to check. Several sales personnel confirmed a hike in the prices of notebooks and writing pads.
“Mae”, a saleslady of a store on Iznart Street, said their notebooks are priced from P29 to P30 while a ballpen costs P7 to P8 per piece, a pencil costs P12 per piece, and a writing pad is P26 per pad.
Mae also noticed an increase in demand this year.
Elsie Magno from Barangay Lanit, Jaro district said the same.
“Mas madahog subong kay wala na pandemic. Tanan may klase na kag nagbalik na ang halos tanan nga mga estudyante sa eskwelahan,” she said.
Shiela Malihan said there have been no changes in the prices of school uniforms.
One set of plain (white polo and blue skirt) school uniform costs P220 to P250 while checkered uniforms range from P250 to P330, depending on the size.
The prices of school supplies at a certain store on Ledesma Street are as follows:
* writing pad for grades 4 to 6 (80 leaves) – P22
* intermediate pad for Grade 3 (80 leaves) – P22
* yellow pad (80 leaves) – P55
* construction paper (20 sheets) – P29
* copy paper (20 sheets) – P25
* ballpen – P8 to P12
* pencil – P7 to P15./PN
