Price ceilings, supply check on school supplies needed now

The Department of Trade and Industry should enforce its regulations on school supplies items as prime commodities subject to the Price Act, according to Rep. Ralph Tulfo (2nd district, Quezon City).

Tulfo said the DTI can invoke the Price Act now and exercise its regulatory powers to make sure prices of school supplies, students’ uniforms, and shoes do not take undue advantage of the coming surge in demand.

“I am wary of probable high prices of school supplies, school uniforms, and shoes now that campuses will soon reopen for face-to-face classes,” he said.

“Tuwing tumataas po kasi ang demand para sa isang produkto, maaaring tumaas din ang presyo nito. At kung ngayon pa lang ay nakikita na ng DTI at mga LGUs na magmamahal ang presyo ng school supplies at uniforms, dapat na nilang agapan ito upang hindi mahirapan ang mga magulang at estudyante. I see the need to avert school supplies price hikes,” Tulfo said.

Tulfo also appealed to the DTI, DepEd, CHED, TESDA, and associations of schools, teachers, students, and non-teaching personnel “to make education affordable now.”

He said, “there  is still time for schools to rethink tuition rates and school fees, as well as payment terms and payment modes. If school supplies prices increases and tuition hikes are not reasonably tempered, many students might postpone their return to school.”

“They already lost two years to the pandemic. Let us not prolong the agony of students. Let compassion prevail over more suffering and profit motives,” the 26-year-old lawmaker also said.