MANILA, Philippines – Can’t read what’s written on a cheap but durable-looking pencil case? Then don’t buy it.
As classes start next week, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Thursday warned consumers against purchasing low-priced school supplies with foreign language inscriptions.
DTI Consumer Protection Group Undersecretary Teodoro Pascua said these types of goods require translation that should be attached to the products.
“Requirement talaga natin doon dapat may translation. At kung wala, kung maaari lang kahit na po nakaka-attract na ito ay murang-mura, iwasan na lang dahil hindi natin alam kung many things hidden in its case,” Pascua said in an interview with dzRH radio.
[It is a requirement to have a translation. And if there isn’t any, please avoid buying the product, even if this is cheap because we do not know if there many things hidden in its case.]
Pascua called on local government officials to help the DTI and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in monitoring if school supplies in the market have proper labels and are free from any hazardous substances.
“Maaari naman sana matulungan tayo ng local government officials dahil talaga sila ‘yong maraming nakakasubaybay sa mga nagtitinda sa kanilang mga jurisdiction [I hope local government officials will help because they are the ones who can monitor sellers within their jurisdiction],” he said.
The DTI and FDA on Wednesday confiscated from two bookstores in Manila notebooks with missing pages and other school supplies found laden with mercury.
Pascua said both the manufacturer and the seller were liable for the seized products as this was a case of consumer deception. He said the DTI had given notice to the establishments to explain why they were selling defective and toxic merchandise.
Classes in public schools will officially start on the first Monday of the month, June 5, according to the Department of Education, while private schools are allowed to determine the start of their classes between June and August.
Parents have started to flock to bookstores and markets offering bargain goods such as Divisoria and Baclaran to purchase school supplies for their children.
To avoid falling victim to overpricing, Pascua said consumers should check the list of suggested retail prices of various school supplies posted on the DTI website.
The DTI has an online price monitoring system called e-Presyo. For school supplies, the agency has listed the prevailing prices of different brands of notebooks, pad papers, pencils, ball pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
The prices of composition notebooks with 80 leaves range from P12.50 to P34, depending on the brand. A three-piece pack of pencil costs between P10.50 and P37.50. An eight-piece box of crayon costs from P12 to P24.75, while erasers are sold for P5 to 12.75 per piece.
Pascua suggested to consumers to shop early in the morning or late in the evening when there are already fewer customers so they could have enough time to scrutinize the products before buying them.
“Huwag tayong sasabay sa agos (Let’s not go with the flow),” he said, referring to stressful last-minute school shopping.
The DTI undersecretary said the agency would have a nationwide fair called “Diskwento Caravan Balik-Eskwela Edition” where consumers could buy school supplies with up to 15 percent discount.
