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Sealing and licensing of weights and measures.
SEC. 274. Sealing and licensing of weights and measures. — The duties incident to the official inspection of weights and measures, and the sealing and licensing of the same for use, shall be performed under the supervision of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Fees for sealing linear metric measures.
SEC. 275. Fees for sealing linear metric measures. — Fees for sealing linear measures of the metric system shall be as follows: (a) Measures not over one and one-half meters, ten centavos. (b) Measures over one and one-half meters, twenty centavos.
Fees for sealing English linear measures.
SEC. 276. Fees for sealing English linear measures. — Fees for sealing linear measures of the English system, allowable only when such measures are to be used in measuring manufactured lumber, shall be as follows: (a) Measures not over one yard, ten centavos. (b) Measures over one yard, twenty centavos.
Fees for sealing metric measures of capacity.
SEC. 277. Fees for sealing metric measures of capacity. — Fees for sealing metric measures of capacity shall be as follows: (a) For a measure not over ten liters, twenty centavos. (b) For a measure over ten liters thirty centavos.
Fees for sealing metric instruments of weight.
SEC. 278. Fees for sealing metric instruments of weight. — Fees for sealing instruments for determining weight graduated solely in the metric system shall be as follows: (a) Those having a capacity of over three thousand kilograms, three pesos. (b) Those having a capacity of not over three thousand but over three hundred kilograms, one peso and twenty centavos. (c) Those having a capacity of not over three hundred but more than thirty kilograms, sixty centavos. (d) Those with a capacity not greater than thirty kilograms, thirty centavos. For an apothecary balance or other balance of precision the charge shall be doubled. With each scale or balance, a complete set of weights for use therewith shall be sealed free of charge. For each extra weight, the charge shall be five centavos.
Form and duration of license for use of weights and measures.
SEC. 279. Form and duration of license for use of weights and measures. — The receipt for the fee charged for the sealing of weights and measures shall serve as a license to use such instrument for one year from the date of sealing, unless deterioration or damage which renders the weight or measure inaccurate occurs in that period. When a license is renewed, the same shall expire on the same day and month of the year following its original issuance. Such license shall be preserved by the owner and, together with the weights and measures covered by the license, shall be exhibited on demand of any internal- revenue officer.
Secondary standards preserved by provincial treasurers.
SEC. 280. Secondary standards preserved by provincial treasurers. — Testing of same. — For use in the testing of weights and measures in the provinces, provincial treasurers shall keep full sets of secondary standards in the provincial buildings. The Collector of Internal Revenue shall be responsible for the inspection and proper testing of all provincial and municipal standards of weights and measures.
Comparison of secondary and fundamental standards.
SEC. 281. Comparison of secondary and fundamental standards. — The comparison of the secondary and fundamental standards shall be made in the Bureau of Science at the instance of the Collector of Internal Revenue. When found to be sufficiently accurate, the secondary standard shall be distinguished by a label, tag, or seal, and shall be accompanied by a certificate showing the amount of its variation from the fundamental standard. If the variation is of sufficient magnitude to impair the utility of the instrument, it shall be destroyed in the Bureau of Science.
Inspectors of weights and measures.
SEC. 282. Inspectors of weights and measures. — Internal revenue agents shall inspect and test balances or scales, weights and pleasures, and report upon the condition thereof in the territory assigned to them. It shall be their duty to secure evidence of infringements of the law or of fraud in the use of weights and measures or of neglect of duty on the part of any officer engaged in sealing weights and measures. Evidence so secured by them shall be presented forthwith to the Collector of Internal Revenue and also to the proper prosecuting officer.
Sealers of weights and measures.
SEC. 283. Sealers of weights and measures. — The sealing and licensing of weights and measures shall be the duty of the city or provincial treasurers and their deputies, and for the purposes of this law such officers shall be termed sealers of weights and measures.
Destruction of defective instrument of weight or measure.
SEC. 284. Destruction of defective instrument of weight or measure. — Any defective instrument of weight or measure may be destroyed by any inspector or sealer of weights and measures if its defect is such that it can not readily and securely be repaired.
Testing of instruments used in Government work.
SEC. 285. Testing of instruments used in Government work. — All measures and instruments for determining weight used in the Government work or maintained for public use by any province, city, or municipality shall be tested and sealed free of charge.
Dealer's permit to keep unsealed weights and measures.
SEC. 286. Dealer's permit to keep unsealed weights and measures. — Upon obtaining written permission from the Collector of Internal Revenue any dealer may keep instruments of weight or measure in stock for sale without sealing, until sold or used
Fraudulent practices relative to weights and measures.
SEC. 287. Fraudulent practices relative to weights and measures. — Any person other than an official sealer of weights and measures who places an official tag or seal upon any instrument of weight or measure, or attaches it thereto; or who fraudulently imitates any mark, stamp, brand, tag, or other characteristic sign used to indicate that weights and measures have been officially sealed; or who alters in any way the certificate given by the sealer as an acknowledgment that the weights and measures mentioned therein have been duly sealed; or who makes or knowingly sells or uses any false or counterfeit stamp, tag, certificate, or licenses which is an imitation of or purports to be a lawful stamp, tag, certificate, or license of the kind required by the provisions of this Chapter; or who alters the written or printed figures or letters on any stamp, tag certificate, or license used or issued; or who has in his possession any such false, counterfeit, restored, or altered stamp, tag, certificate or license for the purpose of using or reusing the same in the payment of fees or charges imposed in this Chapter; or who procures the commission of any such offense by another, shall for each such offense be fined not less than two hundred pesos nor more than ten thousand pesos or imprisoned for not less than one month nor more than five years, or both.
SEC. 288. Unlawful possession or use of instrument not sealed before using and not sealed within twelve months from last sealing. — Any person making a practice of buying or selling goods by weight, or measure, or of furnishing services the value of which is estimated by weight or measure, who has in his possession without permit any unsealed scale, balance, weight or measure, and any person who uses, in any purchase or sale or in estimating the value of any service furnished, any instrument of weight or measure that has not been officially sealed, or if previously sealed, the license therefor has expired and has not been renewed in due time, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred pesos or by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or both; but if such scale, balance, weight, or measure so used has been officially affixed thereto remain intact and in the same position and condition in which they were placed by the official sealer, and the instrument is found not to have been altered or rendered inaccurate but still to be sufficiently accurate to warrant its being sealed without repairs or alteration, such instrument shall, if presented for sealing promptly on demand of any authorized sealer or inspector of weights and measures, be sealed, and the owner, possessor, or user of same shall be subject to no penalty except a surcharge equal to five times the regular fee fixed by law for the sealing of an instrument of its class, this surcharge to be collected and accounted for by the same official and in the same manner as the regular fees for sealing such instruments.
Alteration or fraudulent use of instrument of weight or measure.
SEC. 289. Alteration or fraudulent use of instrument of weight or measure. — Any person who with fraudulent intent alters any scale or balance, weight, or measure after it is officially sealed, or who knowingly uses any false scale or balance, weight, or measure, whether sealed or not, shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred pesos nor more than four thousand pesos or by imprisonment for not less than three months nor more than two years, or both. Any person who fraudulently gives short weight or measure in the making of sale, or who fraudulently takes excessive weight or measure in the making of a purchase, or who, assuming to determine truly the weight or measure of any article bought or sold by weight or measure thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred pesos nor more than two thousand pesos or by imprisonment for not less than three months nor more than two years, or both.
Provisions on this page are reproduced verbatim from official open data. See the attribution line.
Source: Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines. Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).