School supply traders assure stable prices

Back-to-school shopping has now started. And it’s good to know that school supply traders have assured that prices of their products will remain stable during the peak sale season, said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

In its meeting with industry players last April 28, DTI Cebu said local school supply retailers have assured consumers that prices are to remain stable and no supply shortage is expected during the season.

“We have not foreseen any factors that will affect [price trends],” Zaide Bation, DTI Cebu consumer welfare chief, told The FREEMAN yesterday in an interview.

Trade Undersecretary Victorio Mario Dimagiba said in a statement: “The DTI has maintained an open communication with the industry of school supplies and we continuously discuss their price and supply situation to level the playing field among them and to guarantee their cooperation in promoting consumer welfare.”

Quoting the statement of Dimagiba, Bation noted the suggested retail prices (SRPs) for school supplies imposed last year are unlikely to change this year.

School items that are closely watched by DTI include notebook, pad paper, pencil, crayon, ballpoint pens, bond paper and marker pen.

The DTI said manufacturers which are mostly based in Manila like the Philippine School Pads and Notebooks Manufacturers Association Inc have committed to keep prices stable. One manufacturer – the Lam Hong Paper Products Corp – is based in Cebu.

The trade agency has reiterated its call to manufacturers, distributors and retailers to avoid unfair trade practices as the opening of a new school year nears.

Under the Consumer Act of the Philippines, producers and traders must adhere to the standard labeling requirements for school items set by the government.

For instance, notebooks must bear the following information: number of leaves, manufacturer’s name, trademark, grammage of paper, importer, place of production, etc.

The department has appealed to retailers to comply with the SRP which it is set to release within the month. Retailers are also told to post the SRP poster in their stores.

TIPS Bation advised shoppers to only buy the school items that are needed and canvass stores offering reasonable prices.

“They must budget well,” she said. “Price should not be the main consideration but they must also [see] the quality.”

Consumers are also reminded to be wary on the rise of substandard and unsafe back-to-school materials.

Meanwhile, DTI Cebu will organize a back-to-school Diskwento Caravan in barangays Caleriohan and Mantalongon in Cebu’s Dalaguete town on May 30 and 31 to sell basic goods and other products at discounted prices. — Carlo S. Lorenciana