Mayor Ondo steps up drive to protect public market customers

Some of the defective weighing scales confiscated by the City Treasurer’s Office from unscrupulous vendors at the public market. (Photo by Dante Raden)

MAYOR Edward C. Codilla signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Timbangan ng Bayan project in which the Department of Trade and Industry will provide for a weighing scale at the public market. The buying public welcomes the move considering one of the two honest scales at the market is out of order.

The one and only functioning honest scale is found between the meat and fish sections of the wet market. Aside from being calibrated on a monthly basis, this weighing scale is kept safe by housing it at the guard outpost and securing it inside the market office at night.

Administrative Aide I Kristina Cataag believes that ideally, there should be five honest scales or one for each building of the market. Regular inspection of vendors’ weighing scales is done to protect consumers from fraudulent sales practices, she adds.

This surprise inspection is done by the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) which is mandated by RA 7394 or the Consumers Act of the Philippines to regulate weights and measures. The CTO conducts the random inspection with police assistance which led to the confiscation of 30 units on Jan. 28 and 35 units on Apr. 30.

The confiscated units have different defects from inaccurate readings, to having no glass cover and/or seal. Owners will have to pay a fine of P350 and P50 for the seal to recover their units that will be calibrated upon release to them. Cheated buyers are advised to take note of the stall number and report it to the market office.

The market administration will then confiscate the defective scale. However, most vendors keep a reserve scale to replace their confiscated units which is why honest weighing scales are needed as an added protection to consumers, Cataag explains.