DTI-Cebu: Prices of school supplies stable

CEBU, Philippines - Early shoppers might want to take advantage of the so far stable prices of school supplies in Cebu about three weeks leading to the opening of classes on June 3, a trade official noted in an interview.

Zaide Bation, chief of consumer welfare and business regulation division of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cebu Province, told The FREEMAN that they continue to monitor the prices of basic school items in the province and are so far seeing no prominent price increase or decrease.

She said as the new school year draws near, DTI-Cebu is keeping a close watch on the prices of school supplies among business establishments specifically within the months of May and June.

Agency officials visit malls, public markets and educational supply stores to inquire on the prices and then make a report showing the prevailing market price of pad papers, notebooks, ballpens, pencils and crayons, she said.

Bation, however, clarified that their price watch does not include high-end commodities.

“Sa pagkakaron, stable man ang mga presyo kay wa may gi-ingon nga naay shortage sa supply (As of yet, the prices remain stable since there are no reports saying there is any shortage of supply),” she said.

In their first weekly report on the prevailing prices of basic necessities and prime commodities for May, a grade one pad paper with 80 leaves still has a prevailing market price of P9, the same price that the report showed one year ago.

An 80-leaf composition notebook so far costs P13.75 to P15.50 in supermarkets and grocery stores while an 80-leaf spiral notebook is selling at P10.00 to P14.75 depending on the brand.

The prices of other common school items have not also moved to this point with the cheapest pencils pegged at P9.50, ballpens at P5.75 and eight-piece box of crayons at P11.

Traders are not prevented from increasing their prices, however, the DTI official said they will determine the reasonableness of the price hike citing traders to present papers to support their bids.

Bation also said that establishments would normally announce first that they intend to make price hikes prior to their effectivity.

“I doubt pud if naay mupataas pag-maayo sa presyo kay daghan pud raba kaayo’g manindahay (If there would be price increase, I don’t think it will be that much since competition is very alive),” she said.

The DTI in Manila will be issuing suggested retail prices (SRPs) for school supplies ahead of the opening of classes, which DTI-Cebu expects to receive in a few days.

Earlier, trade undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said they will monitor whether the SRPs are reflected in school supplies being sold in the market, adding that retailers have committed not to raise prices until the end of June.

“Anyone found selling above SRP will get a show cause letter to explain why they can’t sell within SRP levels,” she added. “If found to have no justifiable reason, (they) may be charged for overpricing with fine up to maximum of P150,000.”

Consumers are also encouraged to compare the quality of the products by checking the label of school supplies before purchase.

The DTI said labels of school supplies should have the brand name as well as the name and address of the manufacturer.

Labels for pencils should indicate the hardness symbol, while labels of ballpens should identify the tip classification. /JOB (FREEMAN)