Senate bill aims to regulate parking fees in commercial establishments
The government may soon regulate the parking fees of shopping malls, hotels and other commercial establishments nationwide and hold them responsible for the safety of the parked vehicles.
This is the aim of Senate Bill No. 2044 — the Parking Space Regulation Act of 2018 – filed by Sen. JV Ejercito last Oct. 2.
The bill exempt those structures that are exclusively devoted to provide parking for vehicles.
“The cry from the public against the prevalent practice of charging parking fees by shopping malls and commercial establishments is resounding. Despite being loyal consumers and patrons, the public has to pay a fee for every hour that they spend inside the establishments,” Ejercito said on filing the bill.
Once enacted into law, no building permit will be issued for the construction of businesses and commercial establishments with parking spaces unless owners submit a sworn undertaking that adequate parking spaces will be made available to the public with appropriate fees.
Under the bill, the standard parking fee will be P40 for the first eight hours, with an additional P10 per succeeding hour.
There will also be a P100 one-time fee for overnight parking per vehicle and a 30-minute grace period will be given to parkers.
Establishments imposing parking fees will also be responsible for the safety of the cars and will be prevented from invoking the waiver of liability in case of loss of or damage to a vehicle.
Owners of malls, hotels, and other similar businesses caught violating these may face a a fine of P100,000 per customer charged with an overpriced parking fee. The owners may also have their license to operate revoked.
The bill went through first reading on Oct. 3 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship. /atm
