Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released its school supply price guide, with several items recording a spike in prices due to increase in the prices of raw materials.
The issued price guide covered different brands of notebooks, pad paper, pencils, ballpen, erasers, crayons, sharpeners, and rulers.
As of July 25, the prices of notebooks range from ₱23 to ₱52, depending on the brand and specification. The figures are much higher than the ₱17.50 to ₱37.75 prices of notebooks from August 2022’s guide.
Grades 1-4 pad paper prices range from ₱21 to ₱28, an increase from the previous ₱6.50 to ₱24.
There is also a jump in the prices of intermediate pad paper, which now costs ₱31 to ₱48.75.
The prices of writing materials likewise are up from ₱11 to ₱17 for pencils, and ₱9.25 to ₱19 for ballpens.
Meanwhile, erasers in small, medium, and large sizes, have a price range from ₱4.50 to ₱20. Sharpeners and rulers are priced at ₱18 to ₱69 and ₱22.00 to ₱27.75, respectively.
The prices of crayons range from ₱12 to ₱95.
“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,” DTI Consumer Protection Group Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said in a statement.
The DTI said it is coordinating with manufacturers to make sure that prices are “reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market.”
