BACOLOD City Councilor Bartolome Orola urged the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO), City Legal Office-Enforcement Team, and the Price Monitoring Unit to conduct an inspection and regular monitoring of the weighing scales in all public markets in the city.
Orola, chairperson of the City Council committee on markets, said on Sunday, September 23, that he received several complaints from consumers of the rampant cases of inaccurate and tampered weighing scales in various public markets.
“To ensure that the public is protected against fraudulent practices relative to weights and measures as well as deceptive fraudulent sales acts and practices, there is a need to continuously and strictly monitor compliance to the provisions of the law,” he said.
He added the enforcement team should also impose a penalty or confiscation of the illegal weighing scales of the vendors.
Orola noted that on Wednesday’s regular session, he will pass a resolution to address this problem.
In February, about 20 illegal weighing scales were seized at the Central Public Market.
The confiscation of uncalibrated weighing scales is part of the city's massive campaign for the implementation of City Ordinance No. 565, or the Revised Local Revenue Code of Bacolod.
Market goers were advised to always check the weighing scales and if they have complaints, they can report it to the consumers’ welfare desk of the three major public markets.
Erring vendors will pay a penalty of P500.
For habitual offenders, the City Government will revoke the permit and the right of his or her stall or kiosk.