DTI releases price guide on school supplies

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

May 31, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released its price guide for school supplies, with only 17 out of 195 stock keeping units (SKUs) reflecting price increases.

These 17 SKUs include notebooks, pencils, crayons and rulers, with price hikes ranging from P1 to P5.

Meanwhile, 29 SKUs such as notebooks, pad papers and pencils posted lower prices compared to last year, with reductions ranging from P1 to P10.

In addition to the lower prices, 101 SKUs maintained their prices from the previous year. Items that retained their prices include ballpens, erasers and sharpeners.

The price guide also introduces 48 new SKUs to provide consumers with more choices.

Under the updated guide, notebooks are priced between P15 and P52, while pad paper ranges from P15 to P48.75.

Pencils cost between P11 and P24, while pens are available from P3 to P33.

Crayons, sold in various box sizes, are priced from P12 to P114.

Sharpeners range from P15 to P69, and rulers are priced between P16 and P39.

Erasers of various sizes are available at prices ranging from P4.50 to P20.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the DTI aims to help ensure that Filipino families have access to reasonably priced school supplies.

“We know how challenging it can be for parents to prepare their children for school, so this price guide is our way of easing that burden,” she said.

As consumers shop for school supplies, the DTI reminds them to check product labels, as well as the number of leaves in notebooks and pad papers.

The agency also warned consumers to be cautious of unlabelled school supplies, particularly those that do not indicate the manufacturer’s name and address.