Law regulating parking fees sought

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has filed a bill that seeks to regulate the imposition of parking fees by owners of malls, hospitals, schools and other establishments.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert “Ace” Barbers filed House Bill No. 506, or the proposed Parking Fees Regulation Act, that will set standard rates in various establishments for all motor vehicles and penalize violators.

According to Barbers, the measure seeks to address the “excessive and unreasonable” parking fees imposed by owners and operators of commercial spaces, including shopping malls, hospitals, schools and hotels.

For establishments which will be allowed to impose parking fees, they will be subject to a number of conditions, such as a maximum charge of P100 for eight hours and P10 for each succeeding hour.

Those that collect fees for overnight parking shall be allowed to charge a “reasonable amount” not exceeding P200 per vehicle, the bill said.

Customers who will use parking spaces for not more than 30 minutes shall not be charged a parking fee, while shopping malls, restaurants, stores and similar establishments will waive the fees if a customer presents a validated proof of purchase or transaction of at least P500, according to the bill.

Visitors of hospitals and their patients will not be charged parking fees if they show proof of “legitimate transaction.”

Under the proposed law, business establishments that charge fees will be required to maintain and provide security in their parking spaces, and will be prohibited from invoking waiver of liability for customers’ loss of property or damage to the parked vehicle.

Violators will be fined not less than P150,000 for overpricing of parking fees, or imprisonment of one year to three years.