DTI checks school supplies' prices in surprise inspection in Divisoria

CNN Philippines

The Trade department checked the prices of school supplies in Divisoria through a surprise inspection less than two weeks before classes begin.  Senior correspondent Lois Calderon has the scenes.  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 Vendors in Divisoria have marked up the price of notebooks by at least 5 pesos.

00:05 This mother of four shops for markets.

00:08 This is 50 pesos. 10 pieces.

00:11 How many years have you been doing this?

00:15 I've been doing this for 20 years. It's getting better.

00:18 How's the budget?

00:20 It's over.

00:22 This retailer says market is short of paper supply.

00:26 So he opted not to sell notebooks this school season.

00:30 When officials from the Department of Trade and Industry came for a surprise visit

00:34 to check the prices of school supplies, he looked calm.

00:39 There's no paper, no supplies, no materials.

00:42 You ask the spieler, "I don't have paper, I don't have a notebook."

00:46 There's only pencil, only pencil.

00:49 Notebooks, intermediate pads, crayons, pencils, ball pens, rulers and sharpeners.

00:55 These are just some of the school supplies whose prices the DTI checked.

01:00 But the agency finds no overpricing.

01:03 Their pricing is within the price guide.

01:06 Although, if you'll notice, our price guide is based on brands.

01:12 Brands of notebooks, pencils, ball pens.

01:17 Trade Secretary Fred Pascual dismisses claims there's not enough paper supply

01:22 and says there's no reason for retailers to jack up prices.

01:26 Smaller players can take the cue from big bookstores.

01:30 They said, "This is expensive."

01:34 So we checked with a well-established supplier.

01:38 There's no shortage of paper.

01:40 You can see their stock.

01:42 They just need to guide the buyers.

01:46 That's why we have a price guide.

01:48 Of course, the benchmark is the big store.

01:50 Our supply and stocks are complete for the whole back-to-school season.

01:55 We don't do this based on short-term planning.

01:57 This is really one-year planning that we have to do to be ready.

02:01 The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, meanwhile collected samples of crayons

02:06 and watercolor to test them for lead content.

02:09 It has an advice for parents.

02:12 Check the FDA website for brands that were found to have heavy lead content and avoid them.

02:18 Before the school year starts, results will come out.

02:22 But it will take time. It's not just one day or two days.

02:26 The DTI asked consumers to report cases of overpricing

02:31 and use as reference the price guide available on the department's website.

02:37 Lois Calderon, CNN Philippines.

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