THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned market masters or administrators, and even vendors in large public markets that they will be liable if found to have tampered with the public weighing scales installed in large public markets.
Tampering of these weighing scales will result to the filing of criminal cases and imprisonment of up to 15 years for violators.
According to DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Ruth Castelo, there is the need to assure that the weighing scales cannot be manipulated, otherwise violators will be held responsible.
Castelo emphasized that the weight of the penalty should not be ignored if there will be complaints about tampering of weighing scales in any of the big public markets because market administrators will also be held responsible.
Under the law, it is the responsibility of market administrators to make sure that the public weighing scales are in good working condition.
The DTI is also tasked to place public weighing scales in large public markets. Its objective is to prevent consumers from being shortchanged by buying products that are weighed using tampered weighing scales.
Once tampering is proven, violators will face criminal charges with penalties worth P5,000 up to P2 million and imprisonment of from five to 15 years.