DTI issues revised price guide for school supplies

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

AS the new school year starts, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned consumers that global costs have increased the prices of some school supplies.

DTI data contained in the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies aim to assist consumers in their purchase of school items. The Price Act (RA7581) classifies school supplies as Prime Commodities.

“While prices of some products have remained unaffected by recent market trends, other school supplies saw price increases. This is primarily due to increased global cost of basic raw materials,”

DTI Consumer Protection Group (CPG)

Undersecretary Atty. Ruth B. Castelo said.

The price guide includes specific brands of notebooks (composition, spiral, and writing), pad paper (Grades 1-4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.

B ased on the data from DTI, buying one notebook, intermediate pad, pencil, ballpen, box of crayons, eraser, sharpener, and ruler had a combined minimum cost of P152.25.

As of July 2023, notebook prices range from P23 and P52; Grades 1-4 pad paper prices, P21 and P28; intermediate pad paper costs between P31 and P48.75.

DTI said prices of writing materials such as pencils and ballpoint pens range between P11 and P17, and P9.75 and P19, respectively.

Depending on the brand, consumers may purchase a box of crayons with eight colors for as low as P12 to as high as P34. A 12-color pack costs P32.00, while the price of a 16-color pack varies from P24 to P69. Meanwhile, an eraser at small, medium, and large sizes, has a price range from P4.50 to P20. Sharpeners are priced between P18 and P69 while the price range of rulers is between P22 and P27.75.

Atty. M. Marcus N. Valdez II, Director of the DTI Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau, emphasized, “The DTI is closely coordinating with the manufacturers of school supplies to ensure that prices are reasonable and supply is sufficient in the market.”

The Gabay sa Pamimili ng School

Supplies was published on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The public may access the SRP Bulletin for school supplies via the DTI website.

The DTI remains committed to its mandate of promoting fair trade practices and safeguarding consumer welfare.

After two years of using various learning modalities, schools began conducting face-to-face classes last year while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently lifted the State of Public Health Emergency nationwide.

As the school year 2023-2024 starts on August 29, the Department reaffirms its support for the Department of Education’s Balik Eskwela program by issuing the price guide for school supplies.

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has found no legal issue on the proposal to acquire an insurance p olicy from private insurance providers for workers hired and deployed under a governmentto-government (G2G) arrangement.

In its legal opinion issued on July 19, 2023, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the plan will “promote the welfare and protect the rights and interests” of overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

Remulla issued the legal opinion in response to the request of Department of Migrant Workers Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Undersecretary Bernard Olalia.

Olalia, in his letter to Remulla, sought for the justice department’s legal opinion on the propriety of procuring an insurance policy for workers hired under a G2G arrangement, noting that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Technical Working Group (TWG) is drafting the implementing guidelines for Section 23, paragraph 9 of Republic Act No. 1002, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

The said provision states: “For migrant workers recruited by the POEA on a governmentto-government arrangement, the POEA shall establish a foreign employers guarantee fund, which shall be answerable to the workers’ monetary claims arising from breach of contractual obligations.”

Lik ewise, Section 5, Rule X of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA No. 10022 requires POEA to establish and administer a Foreign Employers Guarantee Fund (FEGF), which shall be answerable for the workers’ monetary claims arising from breach of contractual obligations.

In compliance with the said provision, the POEA established the fund for workers hired under a G2G arrangement, wherein the employers are required to contribute to the FEGF prior to the worker’s departure.

Through a board resolution, the POEA administrator was authorized to collect from foreign employers a minimum of US$50.00 for

But, Olalia said the POEA has yet to come up with the guidelines on the administration of the fund.

The options being considered by the POEA, according to Olalia, include the procurement of an insurance policy for the G2G worker, which will cover the money claims and repatriation cost or the claims of the workers will be drawn against FEGF.

Olalia noted that the Insurance Commission (IC) has recommended having a mandatory insurance coverage for workers hired under a G2G arrangement.

Olalia also poin ted out that based on the department’s records, there are minimal incidents of disputes arising from violation of contracts under the G2G arrangements, and if there is any, they resort to dispute settlement. Thus, Olalia said no award for money has been taken from the FEGF.

O n the other hand, Olalia said, should the POEA procure an insurance policy, the cost for the premiums will be necessarily charged against FEGF for every worker hired and deployed.

Taking into consideration all the points raised by Olalia, Remulla said the plan procurement of insurance policy is “valid.”

R emulla said it is in line with the constitutional mandate of the government to provide full protection to local and overseas labor and promote full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all.

“B ased on these policies, the dignity and fundamental rights of OFWs in general, whether agency-hired or hired on government-togovernment arrangement, should at all times be protected by securing the best possible terms and conditions of employment,” Remulla said.

“It is therefore our view that there exists no legal or constitutional constraint for the procurement of an insurance policy from private insurance providers to cover for the money claims and repatriations costs of the workers hired under a G2G arrangement, provided, that, the premiums for such shall be drawn against the FEGF,” the DOJ said. Joel R. San Juan