CLACKERS or lato-lato’s prices have gone up to as much as P150, due to its high demand, especially for children.
These toys are made up of two plastic balls hanging on a thread that slam against each other to produce a distinctive clacking sound when swung. The balls can be knocked together above and below the hand with enough practice.
During SunStar Davao’s monitoring in Bankerohan and Agdao Public Market last June 16, respectively, clackers are now priced at P70 to P150 per piece (pc).
From last week, it cost around P40 to P70/pc.
Anton Braulio, a vendor, said the price change is due to the high demand and how they are priced by their suppliers.
“All-time high ang demand, ganahan kaayo ang mga bata ani kay mao ilang nakita sa TikTok so daghan gusto mopalit (The demand is an all-time high, the children are also fond of them because of the TikTok trends, which will make them encouraged to buy),” he said.
Meanwhile, Beth, surname withheld, another vendor, said the demand for lato-lato is so high, they sold out before noon every day.
“Sukad last week daghan na nagapalit, gusto maapil sa uso sa lato-lato (Since last week many would want to buy clackers to join the trend),” she said.
Another vendor, Nabel Saga, said they also need to increase their lato-lato prices, and they see that the trend “might last for one to two years”.
“Taas-taas pod ang benta sa supplier... mga estimated gani nako one to two years pa ni na mauso ang lato-lato (The suppliers are also selling it at a high price. We estimated that the trend could last a year or two),” Saga said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Department of Trade Industry - Davao Region (DTI-Davao) regional information officer and knowledge management coordinator Jenny Grace Mendoza, she said defective toys such as lato-lato can be complained about to them.
However, she said that under Republic Act (RA) Number (No.) 7581, also known as the Price Act, only basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPC) are covered by the suggested retail price (SRP).
“Dili regulated ang prices (ng mga toys) since dili siya (The prices of toys are not regulated as under DTI, they are not) classified as a basic necessity... Toys are not considered under the list of BNPC,” DTI-Davao Jenny Mendoza said via Messenger, June 16.
While the toy was popular back in the day, it recently gained popularity through TikTok as a trend challenge - to determine who is able to keep the balls clacking the longest. ICE