The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) urges consumers, particularly parents, to always check the suggested retail price (SRP) of school supplies before their purchase. In an interview on Monday, Mutya Eusores, DTI Antique officer in charge Provincial Director, said they have already provided various establishments in Antique with the SRP on school supplies that would serve as their ‘compass’ when pricing their notebooks, paper and pencils, among others, that they sell. ‘We expect that there will be an increased demand for school materials with the opening of the school year nearing,’ Eusores said. Consumers are assured the supplies they buy are within the recommended price amid the high demand should they refer first to the SRP. Public schools in Antique will open on Aug. 29 following the school calendar of the Department of Education. DTI central office issued the new SRP on July 25, which they immediately furnished to stores and other establishments for their guidance. The new SRP can also be accessed on the DTI Facebook page. ‘DTI, to ensure compliance of the stores, also conducts weekly monitoring of the prices of school materials in the major stores,’ Eusores said. DTI Antique Consumer Protection Unit head Arnel Oliveros said they intensified their monitoring of the five major stores in San Jose de Buenavista and in the 17 other towns of the province through their Negosyo Centers starting Aug. 4. The monitoring, as the school opening approaches, is being done weekly unlike the regular monitoring that is conducted monthly. ‘So far, the stores are selling school supplies within the SRP,’ he said. He added some school supplies like ball pens are being sold lower by a few centavos than in the previous SRP probably because of the lower cost of raw materials and labor. Other supplies have stable or the same prices in the new SRP. Meanwhile, DTI Antique will start its Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) for interested 15 to 30 years old out-of-school youth. The OSYs will have four modules on business, business operation, resources and finance and business pitch during the workshop set on Aug. 15 to 18.
Source: Philippines News Agency