Sunday, August 24, 2008 Traders to lose permit if they tamper with scales
THE practice of using tampered weighing scales in the market has become so rampant that a councilor in Baguio City said permits of businessmen caught consistently tampering with weighing scales should be cancelled altogether.
Aside from periodic inspection of weighing scales, Councilor Elaine Sembrano said cancellation of business permits might help solve this. She said retailers of food items in the market have devised a way of adjusting their scales whenever personnel from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inspect, resulting in only a few confiscations.
Sembrano said she even contemplated on letting the city sell weighing scales so this will be properly sealed but was discouraged by a fellow official as this reportedly ventures into a business enterprise.
But this should not stop plans to end the practice, the councilor said as she also called on the DTI to hold inspections at least thrice a month.
She also appealed to some market vendors to stop the practice saying, buyers do not deserve to be shortchanged.
Meanwhile, to ensure also liquefied petroleum gas tanks are properly filled, Sembrano said she and the DTI are also scheduled to inspect the LPG depots, next month. (Rimaliza Opiña)