The Valenzuela City government will relentlessly pursue market vendors who continue to use tampered weighing scales and who are not complying with regulations on measuring devices.
Confiscated weighing scales from market violators (Photos from Valenzuela PIO)
In a forum at the 3S Center in Marulas City, Mayor Weslie “WES” Gatchalian, along with Committee Chairman on Market and Slaughterhouse Councilor Ghogo Deato Lee and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau representative Joel Buag, discussed the New Market Code Ordinance and emphasized penalties for non-compliant vendors, which range from P5,000 to P15,000 for those using tampered or unauthorized weighing devices.
Buag also explained Republic Act 11706 (Timbangan ng Bayan), which was authored by Mayor WES Gatchalian during his term as congressman.
Gatchalian urged vendors to uphold fair trade practices and said that Valenzuela should serve as a model city for compliance.
“Ipinaglaban ko po iyan (Timbangan ng Bayan) hindi lang para sa Valenzuela kundi para sa buong Pilipinas…. Sana po, bilang dito po ako nanunungkulan at nakatira (sa Valenzuela) sana dito natin maging example na maganda sa Valenzuela (I fought for that (Timbangan ng Bayan) not just for Valenzuela but for the entire Philippines... I hope that since I serve and live here in Valenzuela, we can set an example of how well it can be implemented in our city),” he said.
According to the city’s Public Information Office (PIO), 74 non-compliant weighing scales were confiscated from various markets in the city during the Operation Timbangan conducted by the city’s Treasurer's Office, LEDIPO, and Consumer Welfare Unit on March 17 to 18. Owners must pay penalties, recalibrate scales, and secure a seal before retrieving them.
Gatchalian personally conducted a surprise inspection at the Marulas Public Market to check rice retailers’ compliance with the Department of Agriculture’s MSRP directive, which sets the price of imported rice (5 percent broken) at P49.00 per kilo.
The local government announced that it will start selling NFA rice at a maximum of 10 kilograms per consumer starting next week. Around 1,000 to 3,000 kilograms will be sold in selected 3S Centers in Valenzuela City.
Also present at the event were DTI Consumer Protection and Advocacy Bureau representative Carlina Josue, LEDIPO Officer-in-Charge Janina Bautista, City Treasurer Adelia Soriano, and Marulas Barangay Chairman Cocoy Espino.
The local government remains committed to enforcing consumer protection laws and urged vendors to comply to avoid penalties, ensuring fair and transparent market transactions for all Valenzuelanos.