Opening of the first regular session of the 18th Congress last July 22, 2019 (SCREENSHOT/RTVM)
Parking fees in all business establishments’ parking spaces like malls will soon be regulated if a House bill becomes a law.
Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (2nd District, Surigao del Norte) filed House Bill No. 506, or the proposed “Parking Fees Regulation Act” seeks to direct owners and operators of shopping malls, hospitals, schools, hotels and similar establishments to provide parking spaces free of charge.
Barbers said in a statement that streets in highly urbanized areas are clogged with parked cars because of cheaper parking on the streets.
“Vehicle owners are often forced to pay exorbitant fees for parking even if malls and other establishments are already raking in huge earnings from the sale of their products and services,” he said.
He said a parking fee often costs as much as P180 for a number of hours – an amount which, according to Barbers, most Filipinos can barely afford.
The bill proposes the following parking fees:
- a customer shall be charged a parking fee not exceeding P100 per vehicle for a maximum of eight hours and an additional P10 per succeeding hour;
- for overnight parking, a customer shall be charged an amount not exceeding P200 per vehicle;
- a customer shall not be charged a parking fee if he/she uses the parking space for not more than 30 minutes;
- for shopping malls, restaurants, stores, and similar establishments, the parking fee shall be waived once a customer presents a validated proof of purchase or payment of not less than P 500. If the customer used the parking space for a maximum of three hours, he/she shall be charged the standard rate; and
- for hospital visitors and patients, parking fee shall be waived provided they show a validated proof of legitimate transaction.
Business establishments charging their customers for the use of parking spaces shall also be prohibited from invoking waiver of liability in case of loss of property of the customer or damage to the motor vehicle. This provision will also apply to operators of buildings or vacant lots that are used solely as parking spaces.
The bill proposes to impose a penalty of not less than P150,000 per customer who is charged with an overpriced parking fee, or imprisonment of one year to three years, or both, upon the discretion of the court. (Rommel F. Lopez)