DTI: School supplies prices lower this year compared to 2025

The prices of school supplies are lower this year compared to last year, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Maria Cristina Roque said Saturday.

Roque said this is because there is a lot of supply in the market.

"In Divisoria, nakita namin na talagang bumaba ang presyo ng school supplies. Nakausap namin 'yung mga store owner and talagang sinabi nila, mababa ang presyo ng school supplies ngayon. Bumaba ang presyo ng school supplies kasi unang-una, marami rin silang supply ngayon. There's a lot of supplies in the market," Roque said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(In Divisoria, we saw that the prices of school supplies really went down. We talked to the store owners and they confirmed that prices of school supplies are lower now. The prices went down because first of all, there is a lot of supply. There's a lot of supplies in the market.)

"We gave them a price guide, pero 'yung presyo nila mas mababa talaga (but their prices are really lower," she added.

READ: LIST: DTI releases school supplies price guide for SY 2026-2027

Roque said traders are aware of the effect of the Middle East conflict on citizens.

"Mayroon din silang want to put down the price," she said.

The price drop ranges from P5, P3, P8, P7, P1, Roque said, but vendors do not incur losses despite the lowered prices.

"'Yung kuha nila ng items at kuha ng mga supplies, mababa rin daw...Maganda daw ang bentahan ng school supplies kasi mas mababa ang presyo so mas madaling ibenta. Sa e-commerce rin, malakas din ang pagbenta ng school supplies," Roque said.

(They procured the items and supplies at lower prices... Sales of school supplies are good because of the lowered prices, thus these are easier to sell. Even in e-commerce, sales of school supplies are doing well.)

Roque said both local and imported school supplies are being sold at lower prices.

Later in the day, Roque went to Baclaran in Pasay City and discovered that the prices of school supplies there comply with DTI's price guide, according to a report by Mao dela Cruz on Super Radyo dzBB.

𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗞 𝗦𝗔 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗧𝗜

Presyo ng school supplies sa Baclaran, Pasay City, pasok sa price guide ng @DtiPhilippines, ilang araw bago ang pasukan — Sec. Maria Cristina Roque, DTI | via Mao dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/JdKFWz91vX

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) June 6, 2026

Classes are set to open in public schools nationwide on Monday, June 8. —KG, GMA News