Quezon City officials on Saturday asked retailers and businessmen to use “bill verifiers’’ and other safety measures as fake peso bills continue to flood the market at increasing rate with the approaching holidays and the 2010 elections.

Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, alarmed by the proliferation of counterfeit bills, said that the situation calls for drastic measures as even gasoline stations, fastfood stores and retail outlets were victimized by the unscrupulous passing of fake P100, P500, and P1000 bills as genuine currency.

The situation, he noted, was made more frightening as syndicates have washed fake peso bills to make them appear that the bills were authentic and were only submerged in floodwaters during “Ondoy’’.

Aside from Metro Manila, Bautista said that reliable sources confirmed the widespread number of fake peso bills in groceries and stores in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga particularly in establishments where there are quick business transactions.

He added groups of organized syndicates are behind the quick distribution of huge numbers of fake bills currently flooding Metro markets and neighboring areas. Wholesale and retail businessmen said that the fake peso bills looked very similar to the genuine P100, P500, and P1000 local bills making it difficult for their personnel to detect the difference.

With the growing complaints against counterfeit bills, Councilor Eden “Candy’’ Medina of the second district of Quezon City urged the local police to concentrate on syndicated groups passing off the bogus currency as genuine.

She said that even lowly businesses like variety stores, flea markets and food stalls were not spared by the swindlers putting the financial not only to the owners but also to the crew, sales clerks or house helps manning the shops.

Barangay Chairman Mario de Guzman of Barangay Amihan in the third district said the police should be more vigilant in their fight against the widespread distribution of bogus peso bills.

In his long years in politics, De Guzman noted that rogue political aspirants purposely distribute fake peso bills to buy votes or to pay for their campaign expenses. “Since commercial activities are at its peak, unprincipled candidates tend to take advantage of the people by handing out the bogus peso bills either as payment for their services or as grease money to sway the votes in their favor.’’