With classes coming in June and the country still in an economic slowdown, parents are now reportedly preferring to buy fake school supplies for their children in the name of practicality.

Two weeks before the opening of classes, the demand for fake school supplies has risen in bargain hotspots like Divisoria in Manila, as buyers are seeking out cheaper goods.

An imitated Mongol pencil costs only P3 to P4 only, much less than an original Mongol pencil which is priced at P6 each. Notebooks showing cover art of famous shows like "May Bukas Pa" and "Tayong Dalawa", meanwhile, also come cheap at P50 for 8 pieces or roughly P6.25 each.

Some vendors also give free tape dispensers for every P200-worth of items bought. In some cases, buyers only need to spend P500 for a complete set of school supplies.

Buyer Tina Maristela said she prefers buying imitiation school supplies since children tend to break or lose original ones anyway. "Okay lang kasi kung sisirain lang naman ng mga bata, kahit original masisira talaga. So bibili ka uli ng bago, at least mura lang ito," she reasoned.

Although fake supplies are cheaper, some customers noted that it suffers in quality. The fake Mongol pencils, for example, can write clearly but are hard to sharpen and break easily.

Cheap erasers were also notably less elastic than the pricier kinds. Cheap 24-color crayons which cost about P30, meanwhile, lack the luster of original crayons which cost about P50.

"Nakakakulay naman po siya, ang kaibahan nga lang po yung tatag niya. [Ang original] matibay at matingkad, [ang imitation] hindi masyadong matingkad," Nancy Calle, a vendor, explained.

Despite the obvious differences in quality, buyers still prefer the cheaper versions, if anything because it saves them a lot of bucks. "Mas nakakamura [kasi] sila. Binibili pa rin po nila kahit imitation eh," Calle said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education does not prohibit the sale of non-original items as long as it does not affect the health of children.

"Okay lang yun, ang importanteng tutukan ng mga magulang ay yung mga gamit na nakakaapekto sa kalusugan ng bata," said Teresita Domalanta, DepEd Regional Director for the National Capital Region.

The surge of buyers are expected to increase in the last week of May since classes are slated to start on June 1. Report from When Hidalgo, ABS-CBN News.