DTI releases price guide for school supplies

CNN Philippines

The Trade department released a new price guide for school supplies ahead of opening of classes next month.  Currie Cator reports.   Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Mariline has set aside P2,000 for the school supplies of her two sons.

00:05 She's unsure if her budget would be enough, so she buys items one by one.

00:09 "I just buy things to look at because not all of the villagers use them.

00:16 So that it's a little cheaper."

00:20 A new price guide from the trade department shows

00:23 the suggested retail price or SRP has increased for most school supplies.

00:27 The costs went by up to 11 pesos or about 54 percent.

00:31 Some of the major school supplies have increased prices,

00:36 including this notebook which now costs 28 pesos.

00:39 Students can also expect more expensive pencils, ball pens, and pad paper.

00:44 Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castello attributes the hike to higher input costs.

00:50 "Most of the products are made from basic raw materials.

00:57 A lot of these are manufactured here, but there are also imported."

01:00 College student Micaela says she's already having a hard time budgeting

01:06 for both her school and personal needs.

01:08 "Since we're still students, we're not working yet.

01:12 It's hard for us to budget.

01:15 The price of our food is decreasing."

01:20 But the DTI says prices of some items did not change.

01:26 "Their stocks are still good, they're not expired yet, they can still sell.

01:33 They're lowering the price.

01:35 They're lowering it by one peso, 150 or 25 centavos.

01:42 Those budget packs are a big saving.

01:45 It's like almost 200 pesos for a complete set."

01:48 The DTI advises Micaela and Marlene not to spend too much on new items

01:53 and reuse what still works.

01:55 "You can still use items from previous years like plastic envelopes or brown envelopes

02:01 that were not used or damaged.

02:06 You can still use them.

02:08 Even school notebooks, writing notebooks that were only used a few pages last year

02:13 or were written, they can still reuse them.

02:16 Even ball pens."

02:18 Consumers should also be more aware of the SRP of school supplies,

02:22 which can be found on the DTI website.

02:24 Kary Gator, CNN Philippines.

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