Q.C. councilor: LPG dealers must have weighing scales in stores

MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City councilor is proposing passage of an ordinance requiring dealers of cooking gas to have weighing scales in their stores so customers can verify that their tanks contain the right amount of liquefied petroleum gas.

The proposed ordinance was referred by the city council in Monday’s regular session to the committees on trade, energy and laws for further study.

Under the measure introduced by first district councilor Alexis Herrera, LPG traders who fail to set up weighing devices in their stores could face fines of up to P5,000 and revocation of their business permits.

Herrera cited the city policy of protecting and promoting consumer welfare by implementing regulations that would prevent unscrupulous traders from shortchanging their customers. He said that it is the consumer’s right to demand for an accurate weighing method of the goods he is buying.

The councilor said that while gasoline and diesel buyers are assured of buying the right quantity of petroleum products through  calibrated pumps regulated by the Energy Regulatory Board, LPG tanks come in different sizes the weight of which are solely determined by the dealer or distributor.