[2339-179.] S ECTION  2721 . Unlawful Possession or Use of Instrument Not Sealed within Twelve Months . — 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 scale, balance, weight, or measure which has not been officially sealed within twelve months, and any person who uses in any purchase or sale or in estimating the value of any service furnished any such instrument that  has not been officially sealed within the same period shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred pesos or by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or by both, in the discretion of the court; but if such scale, balance, weight, or measure so  used has been officially sealed at some previous time and the seal and tag 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 altere d 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 se aled, 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 offic ial and in the same manner as the regular fees for sealing such instruments. [2339-180.] S ECTION  2722 . 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 o r 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. CSHEca Any person who fraudulently gives short weight or measure in the making of a 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, fraudulently misrepresents the weight or measure thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty pesos nor more than two thousand pesos or by imprisonment for not less than three months nor more than two years, or both. [2339-181.] S ECTION  2723 . Payment of Informers . — Any person, except an Copyright 2012 CD Technologies Asia, Inc. and Accesslaw, Inc. Philippine Law Encyclopedia 2011 871