The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released its “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies” or Price Guide on school supplies. Through its Fair Trade Group (FTG), the DTI highlights price reductions for various school supplies, aiming to provide more affordable options for consumers as students prepare for the upcoming school year.
“As we continue to pursue President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas agenda, the DTI is committed to ensuring that Filipino families have access to reasonably priced school supplies,” said DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque.
“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—making sure students can return to the classroom equipped, confident, and ready to learn without putting too much strain on the family budget,” the trade chief added.
This 2025 price guide covers 195 stock keeping units (SKUs) across 12 product categories. Notably, 29 items have seen decreased prices compared to the previous year, with reductions ranging from PHP 1.00 to PHP 10.00.
Reductions were observed in the following:
|
Commodity
|
# of SKUs
|
Price Reduction
|
|
|
PHP
|
%
|
||
|
Notebook
|
4
|
5.00 – 10.00
|
20% – 37%
|
|
Pad Paper
|
24
|
1.00 – 6.00
|
3% – 26%
|
|
Pencil
|
1
|
5.00
|
25%
|
This year’s price guide includes more variations in notebooks, pad paper, pencils, ballpens, crayons, and other writing essentials. This expansion helps parents and students find products that fit their needs and budget.
In addition to the price drops, 101 SKUs (52% of the 195 SKUs listed) have maintained their prices from last year. This includes all SKUs for ballpens, erasers, and sharpeners.
The guide also introduces 48 new SKUs (25% of the total list), providing consumers with even more options and introducing newer brands and variants. To help consumers easily spot deals, the guide uses these icons: a pen marks items with no price increase, and scissors highlight those with price reductions.
Notebooks are priced from PHP 15.00 to PHP 52.00. Pad paper ranges from PHP 15.00 to PHP 48.75. Pencils cost PHP 11.00 to PHP 24.00, while pens are available from PHP 3.00 to PHP 33.00. Crayons, in various box sizes, can be purchased for PHP 12.00 to PHP 114.00. Sharpeners are priced at PHP 15.00 to PHP 69.00, and rulers at PHP 16.00 to PHP 39.00. Erasers, in various sizes, remain priced at PHP 4.50 to PHP 20.00.
“Every peso counts for Filipino families, especially during back-to-school season. This price guide is a promise that under this administration, no learner is left behind. We want every child, regardless of background, to step into the classroom with pride and readiness, and every parent to feel that the government is walking alongside them,” said Secretary Roque.
The DTI reminds consumers to check product labels, such as the number of leaves in notebooks and pad papers. Consumers should be wary of school supplies without labels, especially those that do not indicate the manufacturer’s or importer’s name and address.
To download the latest “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies,” consumers can visit the DTI website or follow the official Facebook pages of DTI Philippines and DTI Consumer Care for updates and advisories.
