Using a steamroller, these scales were destroyed at the Baguio City Public Market last October 2.
These were found to have been tampered with.
These were confiscated during inspections conducted by the city government at various stalls in the market led by the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) and the city market office.
The goal is to ensure that no cheating occurs in the market.
That’s why Renato, who has been selling meat for fifteen years, says that honesty is his capital with his regular customers.
“It’s good to prevent them from cheating others,” says meat vendor Renato Havier.
But when he buys, he makes sure that the weight of his purchases is accurate.
“That’s why I check using the public scale,” Havier added.
To prevent cheating, the city market office calibrates scales before they can be used.
According to Ceasar Emilio, Market Supervisor at City Market Office, “When we test it and it’s accurate, we put a seal and a sticker noting when it was tested and sealed because it needs to be renewed and retested every six months to see if the scale is still okay.”
Those found manipulating scales could be charged under Republic Act No. 11706, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
This carries a penalty of a fine ranging from 50,000 to 300,000 pesos and imprisonment from 1 to 5 years.
According to the city market office, this is the first time anyone has violated this, and only defective scales were confiscated.
