By Prince Golez
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently conducted a surprise monitoring operation in Divisoria, Manila City to inspect actual prices of school supplies to protect consumers against unreasonable price hikes.
“We conducted an intensified price monitoring for school supplies to make sure that establishments are following the price guide we issued last month. We want to make sure that parents who will come here to buy school supplies for their children in preparation for the upcoming school year will not fall victims of profiteering and other unjust sales practices,” Secretary Alfredo Pascual said in a news release.
The team inspected stores selling school supplies, particularly those offering items listed in the Gabay sa Pamimili or price guide for school supplies, such as specific brands of notebooks (composition, spiral, and writing), pad papers (Grades 1-4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
Twenty-two of the 23 stores inspected conformed with the price guide, according to the DTI.
The department called the attention of one retail store and mandated it to submit a written explanation within three days as to why a school supply item was priced higher than the price guide.
Pascual said that he ordered regional and provincial offices to conduct school supplies price monitoring in various provinces in the country prior to the opening of the school year.
Other than prices, the DTI also inspected school supplies’ conformance with the Philippine National Standards, particularly on product specifications for office and school supplies that provide safety and quality requirements of certain products to ensure reliability and safe usage, and compliance with other Fair Trade Laws.
It also inspected school supplies items’ product specification, markings, and labels.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was present during the operation. The agency conducted “test-buy” of crayons and watercolors, which will be subjected to further analysis, particularly of the chemical content/s.
Meanwhile, the DTI chief urged consumers to diligently check if school supplies are FDA-approved to ensure they are safe for their children.
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