DTI-Cebu issues shopper’s guide for school supplies

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has recently issued a shopper’s guide for buying school supplies with the new school year set to open in less than three weeks on June 3.

When buying notebooks and pad papers, DTI encouraged consumers to check the number of pages, type – whether book or bond, size and grammage of paper. Grammage is the paper’s density or its mass per unit area.

Consumers are also advised to note the name and address of manufacturer, the converter or importer as well as the country where the product was made.

For crayons, buyers should check the actual number of pieces inside the box and the name and address of the manufacturer.

It is also important to see a “non-toxic” label on the packaging, which signifies that the product has been duly examined and passed the allowed toxicity level as provided by the Food and Drugs Administration.

Pencils should also indicate the hardness symbol – No. 1, 2, 3 - while tip classification for ballpens – fine, medium, etc. - must also be specified.

Aside from the shopper’s guide, the trade agency has also issued suggested retail prices (SRPs) of basic school items which apply nationwide.

As of last week, prices of 80-leaf composition, writing and spiral notebooks ranged from P10.00 to P15.00, depending on the brand and the type of paper used.

The difference represents the added value that other manufacturers place on their products such as plastic covers and margins.

The cheapest pad paper for grades one to four costs about P9.75 while some can also be bought at P14.75. Mothers on a budget are urged to buy pad papers that come in threes or fours so they could save more.

Intermediate papers are selling at P14.00 to P29.75, regular-size pencils at P9.50 to P19.75 and jumbo-size pencils at P24.75 to P30.75.

Crayons with eight pieces per set are at P11.00 to P19.75, 16 pieces per set at P22.25 to P37.75 and 24 pieces per set at P31.75 to P51.75.

DTI-Cebu will be closely monitoring the price movement of basic school commodities for the months of May and June, conducting a weekly price watch among malls, educational supply stores and public markets.

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.

Those found selling above SRP will get a show cause letter to explain why they can’t sell within SRP levels, she said.

“If found to have no justifiable reason, (they) may be charged for overpricing with fine up to maximum of P150,000,” Maglaya added.

Consumers with complaints over the quality and price of school supplies may reach the agency through their direct hotline (02) 751-3330 or 0917-834-3330.