ILOILO City – Prices of school supplies in Western Visayas were found to be within the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Suggested Retail Price (SRP), according to its regional office here.
In an interview on Tuesday, Felisa Judith Degala, chief of the Consumer Protection Division of DTI-6 (Western Visayas) said that no retailers have violated the SRP so far based on their weekly monitoring. Degala said retailers were required to post the SRP in their stores as a guide to consumers.
With this, she said that consumers could send their complaints to the customer service of DTI if there is overpricing. “DTI will issue letter of inquiry or show cause order to the retailer to let them explain why their prices did not match with the SRP. They will be given five days to explain and if they cannot justify the increase in their prices, DTI could file charges against the retailer,” she warned.
Degala mentioned that there were increases in the prices of certain items this year as reflected by the latest SRP when compared to last year’s figures. They include writing pad, intermediate pad and spiral notebook, among others.
The 80-leaf composition notebook using econo-bond and book paper for example increased by P1-P3; spiral notebook went up by P1-P4; and promo six-packs of 80-leaf notebooks increased by P10-P25.
According to Degala, the price increase was due to the drop in the supply of raw materials to make papers. “There has been a decrease in supply while there is a big demand right now because it is opening of classes so the price has increased,” she explained.
Meantime, DTI-6 is inviting the public to avail of discounted price school supplies through the “Balik Eskwela Diskwento Sale. In Iloilo, the Diskwento Sale started last May 28 and will run until June 10 in participating establishments, she added. (PNA)
