Council to hike parking fees; bikes and motorcycles included

By JOHN RIZLE L. SALIGUMBA
DAVAO TODAY

DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Council on Tuesday passed on second reading an ordinance that would increase vehicle parking fees to as much as P20 in the first two hours and  an additional P 10 for every succeeding hour.

This time, parking of motorcycles and bicycles will also be charged.  A fee of P2 will be collected on the first 2 hours and still, P1 for each succeeding hour while trucks and buses would have to shell out P100 for the first two hours and P20 for every additional hour.

Some councilors raised objections and appeals on the revisions but to no avail.

Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta raised her reservations that the rates could be high, and proposed economic experts to contribute inputs “on how much would be a reasonable cost for Davaoeños.”

But First District Councilor Bonifacio Militar, author of the original ordinance in 1990, said the increase of private vehicles by 27% since 2011 showed “more Davaoeños have substantial income” and could afford to pay parking fees.

The 2012 data from Land Transportation Office XI registered a total of 148,085 vehicles including 14,391 cars, 33,892 utility vehicles, 5,862 sports utility vehicles, and 8,227 trucks.

The number of registered motorcycles and tricycles increased the most in the past three years from 64,326 to 84,582.

The councilor said 150 parking fee collectors will be hired in the city to collect the fees.

But Councilor Victorio Advincula, Jr opposed the ordinance saying it will overlap with the “Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Code” he co-authored.

“(The Code) is already an existing ordinance waiting for Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), and it is effected to include all existing ordinances on the matter of traffic,” he said.

Advincula proposed that parking fees should be tackled in the IRR of the Traffic and Transportation Code.  He also noted that section 59 paragraph 5 of the said code proposed the implementation of parking fees through the issuance of citation of tickets and detailed the schedules of payments attached as annexes.

But Militar said there is no conflict with both laws, saying the Code “is a codification merely of existing ordinances”.

He further said the Code “lacks the element of a valid ordinance” as it has not yet been published and has no IRR.

Militar said if Advincula has objections to the parking ordinance it will reviewed by the City Legal Office before it will become executory.

The parking ordinance, known as Davao City Ordinance 153-A, entitled “An Ordinance Imposing Parking Fees on All Vehicle owners/drivers for Using Certain Streets in Davao City as Parking Spaces,” was enacted in October 8, 1990 during the 9th City Council. This is the seventh revision to the ordinance.

Motorcycle watchers, such as Mang “Johnny” who keeps watch of motorcycles parked near the City Hall in San Pedro Street, doubted if drivers would accept the fees.

He said drivers sometimes do not pay for his “services” for looking out on their motorcycles and helmets from being stolen, and shielding them from the heat of the sun.  “That is why I doubt if they will be willing to pay, they will take pains over it,” Johnny said.

“Many of those who park here are employees of the Davao City government. They ride motorcycles because it is more convenient and may be cheaper than riding a jeepney,” he said.

Johnny recalled the collection of parking fees stopped around 2004.  (John Rizle L. Saligumba/davaotoday.com)