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DTI warns vs school supplies overpricing


With parents starting to buy school supplies as the new school year draws closer, the Department of Trade and Industry on Thursday warned retailers against overpricing. In a radio interview, DTI Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said the price difference of some items such as notebooks and pencils should only be between 75 centavos and P2 compared to last year. "Sa increase ng bagong disenyo, we requested sana huwag nila itaas ito. The maximum or highest will be P2 para sa mas mataas na uri ng papel (For retailers who updated the designs of their notebooks, we requested that they not raise their prices too high. The highest price increase should be P2 for notebooks that use better-quality paper)," Maglaya told dwIZ radio. "Basta bagong disenyo, yan ang nakita nating nagbago sa presyo at ating nakumpirma sa monitoring natin. But all the rest, same price as last year (Only items with newer designs will see a price hike. All others will be sold at the same price as last year)," she added.

However, Maglaya also admitted the recent rollbacks in prices of fuel may not be felt in terms of lower prices of school supplies until at least the second semester. She said the school supplies being sold now were manufactured as early as March, when fuel prices were still going up. Maglaya pointed out prices of many school supplies went up when fuel prices increased because many school supplies are made of petrochemical products. "Siguro sa pamimili for the second semester makakaramdam tayo ng pagbaba (We may see a price rollback reflecting recent fuel price rollbacks but only in the second semester)," she said. Meeting with school supplies makers Maglaya said the DTI met with makers of school supplies recently, who said they had to increase prices especially for new designs of their products. But she said old stocks and older designs will be sold at the "same price as last year." "Mga 75 centavos to P2 ang price difference sa luma at bagong disenyo (The price difference between the new and old designs will be between 75 centavos and P2)," she said. She said new-design pencils will cost 75 centavos to P1 more. Promo packs On the other hand, Maglaya said buyers of school supplies may even benefit from promo packs that some makers will sell just to get rid of inventory. "Minsan nagkakaroon pa nga ng reduction in price para lang maibenta at di maibodega ang stocks. So wala dapat tayong ipangamba na meron pang further increase kung sakali sa presyong nakikita natin sa ngayon," she said. (Sometimes some suppliers sell their products with discounts, just to get rid of the stocks. So there is little risk of a further price increase.) "Instead of carrying costs yan dahil nakaimbak may warehousing may cost of managing yan, di ginalaw ang presyo at may iba rin na kung napapansin mo may packs of three, minsan may libreng lapis, minsan may promo packs," she added. (To avoid carrying costs in storing the items, some makers sell their products in promo packs.) Toxic crayons Maglaya also reminded makers of school supplies to ensure their crayons are not made of hazardous or toxic materials. She said the DTI will also monitor school supplies for the quality of paper and the number of leaves in notebooks. Also, she said the DTI will include school supplies in its "Diskwento Caravan" that sells basic goods at prices up to 20 percent lower than the usual price in bookstores. — RSJ, GMA News
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