DTI launches Weighing Scale SSF in Ipil town

By Alma L. Tingcang

IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay - To address the issue on the manipulation of weighing scales in the rubber industry, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-9 launched the Weighing Scale Shared Service Facility (SSF) at the Ipil Rubber Trading Center in Barangay Pangi here on Wednesday, May 6, 2015.

Engr. Al-Zamir I. Lipae, DTI provincial director said this is the 11^th SSF project for Zamboanga Sibugay and there are still several lined-up projects for implementation this year.

Dr. Sitti Amina M. Jain, acting regional director of DTI-9, said in previous meetings with rubber traders and farmers, one of the issues that cropped up was the manipulation of weighing scales. Thus, to help the farmers, 5 weighing scales with a project cost of P69,440 were turned-over to Ipil LGU as cooperator under the SSF project.

“Accordingly, traders resort to manipulation of their weighing scales because farmers bring their raw rubber to the Bagsakan Center  mixed with wood, soil, stones and other waste materials, even jackfruit,” Dr. Jain stressed.

“We wanted to correct that practice, for both traders and farmers to follow ethical standards of doing business,” she added.

Board Member Joel D. Ebol, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture said he has gone to several bagsakan centers and observed that traders are really manipulating their weighing scales because they said farmers bring in adulterated raw rubber.

Ebol urged traders not to buy adulterated rubber products. “We should improve the quality of rubber we produce because what will happen to the rubber industry in the next 5 years? It will surely deteriorate and affect the economy of Zamboanga Sibugay,” he quoted.

The MOA signing between LGU Ipil and DTI was witnessed by LGU officials, partner agencies; Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Information Agency, rubber traders/farmers and the media.

The SSF is a strategic complementary project of DTI that intends to achieve inclusive growth as envisioned by the current administration.

It entails the setting up of common service facilities or production center for certain processes to give MSMEs access to better technology and more sophisticated equipment to accelerate their bid for competitiveness and help them graduate to the next level where they could tap a better and wider market and be integrated in the global supply chain.