A lawmaker on Saturday appealed for Senate action on the proposed law sponsored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo imposing a fine or imprisonment for tampering with the “timbangan ng bayan” [public weighing scale] center to be placed in all public and private markets nationwide.
Rep. Juliette Uy of Misamis Oriental, a co-author of House Bill 7857 already approved by the chamber, said the bill’s enactment is long overdue.
The measure seeks to impose a maximum fine of P300,000, five years’ imprisonment, or both for tampering with the “timbangan.”
Similar measure had been filed at the Senate—Senate Bills 1970 and 2050—with Senators Ralph Recto and Grace Poe as authors, respectively.
“With the Timbangan ng Bayan, consumers can check the accuracy of the weight of food and other goods they purchase in their city or municipal public markets, while at the same time discouraging dishonest merchants from commiting any irregularity,” said Uy, vice chairman of the House committee on small business and entrepreneurship development.
HB 7857 amends the Consumer Act of the Philippines by providing stiffer penalties against fraudulent practices relative to weights and measures.
The bill raises the current fine of P200 to a minimum of P50,000 against fraudsters, and imprisonment of at least one year if found guilty of tampering with weighing scales.
The House-approved version substituted Speaker Arroyo’s HB 2957.
Arroyo said the establishment of such centers would provide the buying public with an effective means of checking the accuracy of the weight and the quantity of the goods they are buying.
“The consolidated bill from Senate would, in turn, be swiftly concurred to or ratified by the House, and from there, onward it goes to Malacañang. Before this current session of Congress is over, this bill will become law,” Uy, also a member of the House committee on energy, said.
