Question & AnswerQ&A (Act No. 1519)
The fundamental system of weights and measures throughout the Philippine Islands is the metric system, with units including the meter for length, square meter or are for area, cubic meter or liter for capacity, and gram for weight.
Until January 1, 1909, the use of traditional Spanish units like arroba, quintal, picul, and certain capacity and length units, as well as the English avoirdupois pound, was authorized.
The unit of length is the meter, defined as the length of the standard meter at zero degrees centigrade as preserved by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
The metric system must be used in all official documents; no weights or measures except metric units shall be employed in any contract, deed, or other publicly or officially attested document.
The Collector of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of Finance and Justice, decides and procures the dies, stamps, brands, stencils, tags, and apparatus for sealing weights and measures.
They may be punished by a fine of up to one thousand pesos, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Penalties include fines ranging from two thousand to ten thousand pesos and imprisonment from one to five years, at the discretion of the court.
A fine not exceeding five hundred pesos, or imprisonment at the court's discretion, unless the user lives in remote regions where obtaining sealing or licenses is impracticable, in which case no penalty is imposed.
Their duties include inspecting and testing scales, balances, weights, and measures, reporting their condition, collecting evidence of infringements or fraud, and presenting such evidence to the Collector of Internal Revenue and prosecuting officers.
Fees are paid according to a schedule based on type and capacity of the measure or scale, payable with internal-revenue stamps affixed to certificates serving as licenses valid for one year from the date of sealing.