Dashing through last-minute shopping rush
NANCY URGES LGUs TO HELP MONITOR PRICES OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Senator Nancy Binay today urged local government units to work closely with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strictly monitor the prices of school supplies.

Binay said this is to prevent unscrupulous traders who may take advantage of the opening of classes in public schools on Monday and sell school supplies higher than market value.

"Marami pa rin ang di nakakabili ng mga gamit sa eskwela since naghihintay pa ang iba ng sweldo. We expect a rush of last-minute school supplies shopping over the weekend, kaya I'm appealing to LGUs to strictly monitor the prices of school supplies and other educational materials to prevent retailers who take advantage of the season to unjustly raise their prices," Binay said.

Earlier, DTI reported price hikes in a number of school supplies.

In a statement, the agency said several brands of notebooks and pad papers are priced higher this year due to the increased cost of raw materials imported from China caused by the depreciation of the Philippine Peso.

As for other school items, the DTI said their prices remain stable.

Weeks ahead of the opening of classes, the DTI publishes a price guide for consumers that they can use when purchasing school supplies. The price guide covers the suggested retail prices (SRP) of specific brands of notebook, pad paper, pencil, ball pen, crayon, eraser, sharpener, and ruler.

For the complete list of SRPs of school supplies, you can visit DTI's website at https://www.dti.gov.ph/consumers/e-presyo