Deceitful sale of pasalubong products / Erring food eatery

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Two stalls at the Baguio City market have been issued notices of violation for selling pasalubong products that have improper labels in an operation conducted jointly by the Dept. of Trade and Industry, Food and Drugs Administration and the city market division of the City Treasury Office last Nov. 4.
    DTI Baguio-Benguet Consumer Protection Division Officer-in-Charge Ralph Altiyen said the operation was based on a complaint received by their office on alleged deceitful trade practices relating to the sale of pasalubong products at the city market.
    The complainant cited peanut brittle products being sold at 5 pieces for P100 or at times 7 pieces at the same price depending on the size of the container.
    “Kung inyo pong masusing tingnan ang produkto ay maayos sa labas pero kapag ito ay iyong binuksan, hangin at ampaw po ang loob…  Sa label din ay may nakalagay na DTI permit, kaya ang tanong po ay may pahintulot kaya (kayo) sa ganitong gawain?... Madalas din po itong problema ng mga turista na pumupunta at namimili ng mga pasalubong dito sa Baguio City.  Ito rin po ay nakakasira sa imahe ng ating mahal na lungsod,” the complainant wrote in a letter dated Oct. 27, 2022 to DTI Baguio-Benguet Provincial Director Atty. Samuel Gallardo.
     The complainant provided samples of the products he purchased from the stalls along with a photocopy of the receipt.
     Upon scrutiny, it was found that the pasalubong products did not conform to the mandatory labelling requirements.
     The label did not indicate the manufacturer, net weight and address which is in violation of Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines particularly Articles 77-79 on minimum labelling requirements, the Philippine product standard mark and additional labelling and packaging requirements, respectively.
     Altiyen said that apart from the manufacturer or supplier, sellers are also liable based on Art. 50 of the Republic Act.
     While at the market, the team also inspected other stalls and found similar products displayed for sale prompting the team to issue warnings and directives to pull out said products.
    Altiyen said that in their regular monitoring, vendors were reminded of the need to comply with the trade practices which include selling of products with proper labelling.
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An eatery here at Trancoville barangay was issued a warning for dumping used oil and food scraps into the canal and drainage.
    City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) Asst. Dept. Head Marivic Empizo said Engrs. Wilbur Suanding and Joseph Willy from their office inspected the site based on a complaint from a resident.
    They said the owner was strictly reminded of the law on hazardous waste, a classification which covers used oil.
    "The consequences of illegal disposal were highlighted such as clogging of the drainage which may cause flooding, nuisance and its ill-effects," Empizo said.
     "It was recommended that the food scraps and used cooking
oil be placed in a container bin which will be collected by those who feed it to animals,"  she added.
    The owner was warned that a repeat offense would warrant issuance of a notice of violation.
CEPMO head lawyer Rhenan Diwas earlier warned food establishments against dumping grease and used oil in the city's canals and waterways or face penalties for violating Republic Act 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990.
    Cooking oil deposits mixed with water, soil and waste materials solidify and form a compacted blockage that is difficult to dislodge.
    The presence of grease deposits in drainage pipes was one of the determined causes of clogging of the water passageways that lead to flooding of streets.