THE city government is urging strawberry vendors to police their own ranks against enterprising sellers who allegedly defraud buyers by adding rotten fruits to their purchases.

A team from the City Permits and Licensing Division of the City Mayor’s Office and the Market Division of the City Treasury Office swooped down at the city market and did a random inspection of the stalls and the produce.

This after receiving a complaint from a tourist that her purchase turned out to have some “reject” fruits mixed in despite appearing to be fresh at the time she was buying them.

“Fresh yung mga display pero pag tinitimbang na nila, hinahaluan ng medyo sira na,” the tourist lamented.

Allan Abayao. head of the Licensing Division, said that in their joint inspection,they found nothing unusual with the product.

“All of the stalls inspected have the necessary permits. The packed strawberries were randomly opened for inspection and all were in good condition. Walang namang naihalo na reject o malapit ng masira,” he said.

They noticed containers where they put the rejected or rotting fruits underneath the tables.

“All stores were advised to continue selling fresh fruits. Huwag silang manloloko o mandaya. They must continue upholding the integrity of the city market vendors. They must police their own ranks,” Abayao said.”To the vendors, just be honest and transparent.Ipakita natin na sa palengke ng Baguio, walang mandaraya,” he said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo