By Brian Campued
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released its latest “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies” to ensure that families have access to reasonably priced study materials and education essentials, as the opening of the School Year 2026-2027 approaches.
“The Gabay aims to provide options for consumers to make an informed decision as students prepare for the upcoming school year,” DTI said in a social media post Thursday as Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque led a price monitoring activity in Divisoria, Manila.
The 2026 edition of the price guide covers commonly purchased school items, including notebooks, pad papers, pencils, ballpens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
According to DTI, prices of writing and composition notebooks range between P13 and P52, while spiral notebooks range from P14 to P49 and yarn notebooks from P14 to P47.
Grade pad paper is priced from P13 to P37 per pad or pack, while intermediate pad paper ranges from P22 to P69.75 per pad.
Pencils are available from P12 to P18 per piece or P15 to P24 per pack, while ballpens range from P3 to P21 per piece and P18 to P27 per pack.
Crayons are priced from P12 to P114 per box, depending on quantity, while erasers range from P8 to P20 per piece.
Sharpeners are also available per piece or per pack at P16–P69, while rulers can be bought at P8 to P32 per piece.
The DTI also reminded consumers to always check the items before buying to ensure safe and quality purchases. The public is advised to look for the following specifications in the product labels:
- For pad papers: number of pages; type and class of paper (book, bond, or econobond); brand name or trademark; name and address of the manufacturer, converter, or importer; country where the product was manufactured
- For crayons: brand name or trademark; quantity (box of 8, 12, 16, 24, etc.); name and address of manufacturer and importer; “non-toxic” markings; country where the product was manufactured
- For pencils: brand name or trademark; hardness symbol (Nos. 1, 2, or 3); country where the product was manufactured
The department conducts price monitoring and releases price guides yearly to help families in their back-to-school shopping by providing a range of affordable school supplies while ensuring retailers still earn profits.
The initiative also forms part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s broader Balik Eskuwela agenda, making sure that learning spaces are prepared for the upcoming school year and for students to return to the classroom equipped and ready to learn.
The latest school supply price guide can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2026SchoolSuppliesPriceGuide
-jpv
