By Ben Rosario
Finally, a bill proposing to regulate the charging of parking fees hurdled committee approval in the House of Representatives which had been unsuccessful in pursuing similar measures for two decades now.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
The Committee on Trade and Industry unanimously approved the Parking Operations and Fees Regulation Act as it rejected the strong objections registered by mall owners, commercial establishments and independent parking operators.
Similar bills have been filed in the Lower House but none passed plenary and even committee approval.
Valenzuela Rep. Wes Gatchalian appeared satisfied with the bright prospect of having the bill passed into law.
However, a check on the provisions of the approved bill indicated that exorbitant parking fees will be retained by operators of street, open space and covered parking.
The committee-approved bill is a consolidation of 13 different legislative proposals.
The bad experience of ACT CIS Partylist Rep. Rowena Taduran in a shopping mall parking in Quezon City apparently contributed to the swift passage of the measure.
Taduran fell victim to “basag kotse” thieves who smashed the window of her sports utility vehicle (SUV) while it was parked in a Quezon City mall.
Months before Taduran lost some P200,000 in valuables to the “basag kotse” gang, 1PACMAN Partylist Reps. Michael Odylon L. Romero and Enrico Pineda filed House Resolution No. 157 calling the attention of Congress on “several complaints” from motorists who have been victimized by robbers and carnappers while parked in business establishments who charge payment of “exorbitant parking fees.”
“There have been several reports of carnapping, robbery and simple mischief committed against parked vehicles where establishment owners and parking management entities refuse to take liability,” said Romero and Pineda.
The two partylist solons stressed that the State has the “inherent duty” to protect consumers from unnecessary, unreasonable and unjustified exactions, thus, a probe into carpark operations was proposed.
Common among the bills filed is the provision making it a duty of carpark operators to secure vehicles and provide protection to all clients.
Under the bill, parking facilities s for all types of vehicles including bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles, will be covered.
Vehicles of patients and customers of malls and hospitals will be exempted from parking fees operated by the said establishments.
Free parking for shopping mall customers will be limited to the first two hours, provided that the vehicle owner will show proof of transaction for a not less than P500.
However, non-patrons will be charged P20 per hour, which is higher than the current rates being imposed by most malls and hospitals.
Parking fees in educational institutions shall be waived for the first two hours for officials, employees, faculty, and students, after which P20 shall be charged per hour. Non-customers will also be charged P20 per hour.
Non-customers shall be charged P10 per hour but not to exceed P50 per day. Commercial establishments may charge P40 for the first four hours and P20 per succeeding hour for a maximum of P140 per day.
Open parking enterprises may charge P30 for the first three hours and P20 per succeeding hour, while multilevel parking enterprises may charge P40 for the first three hours and P20 per succeeding hour.
Street parking shall be charged P50 per hour while the maximum overnight parking fee shall be P150 per vehicle. Lost parking tickets may also be charged a maximum of P150 per vehicle.
The bill also sets the minimum standards that must be observed by all parking establishments including the provision of CCTV cameras, security guards, the number of entrance and exit booths to prevent traffic congestion, and other safety standards.