The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was in for a pleasant surprise when prices of school supply prices have generally decreased compared to last year, with a huge portion of items seeing decrease in prices or maintaining their previous costs.
The DTI Price Monitoring team led by Secretary Cristina A. Roque found this out during its special price monitoring activity in Divisoria, Manila, on June 4, 2026. The inspection aimed to ensure that school supplies remain accessible and affordable during the back-to-school rush.
The monitoring activity followed the release of the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies (Price Guide). This year’s guide covers 210 SKUs—up from last year’s 195 —giving consumers wider selection of brands and products.
The decrease in prices during the actual market monitoring reflected the latest guide issued by the DTI wherein 109 SKUs maintained their 2025 pricing, while the 18 percent recorded price drops ranging from PHP1 to PHP27. Decreases were noted across several categories including notebooks, pad paper, intermediate pad, writing materials, and erasers. Only 10 percent of listed items—mostly writing materials—registered minimal price increases, while 41 new SKUs were added to the guide.
DTI officials, alongside personnel from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health (DOH), inspected retail stores and wholesale outlets in the area. The joint team checked prices, product labels, and supply availability for basic classroom items, including pencils, ballpens, notebooks, pad paper, crayons, rulers, erasers, and sharpeners.
Secretary Roque emphasized that these lower market prices reflect the broader and continuous efforts of the government and the Marcos Jr. administration to ease the financial burden on Filipino households, ensuring that quality education and necessary learning tools remain highly accessible and affordable for everyone.
“There are a lot of cheaper school supplies options for students this year. Our monitoring in Divisoria confirms that prices have gone down from last year, and many items have also retained their old prices. This gives parents and students excellent, budget-friendly choices as they prepare for the opening of classes. We encourage everyone to check the DTI’s official website and social media platforms to be guided by our Price Guide so they can maximize their budget and make informed purchases,” Secretary Roque said.
According to the DTI, the monitoring aims to enforce compliance with consumer protection laws, verify correct price tags and labeling, and protect consumers from deceptive sales practices. Under Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, school supplies are classified as prime commodities. This mandates the DTI to monitor their cost and availability to safeguard consumers against unfair trade practices.
The agency commenced its nationwide monitoring of prices of school supplies in the first week of May 2026. Balik-Eskwela Diskwento Caravans were also held all over the country to provide consumers with access to discounted school supplies.
