A LAWMAKER has filed a bill regulating parking fees in commercial and business establishments, institutions, and parking facilities in response to public clamor.

Senate Bill No. 1463 filed by Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. fixes parking rates in malls, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and dedicated parking facilities, among others. These amount to as follows:

* P20 for first three hours + P5/succeeding hour for all types of cars;

* P10 for first three hours + P2/succeeding hour for motorcycles;

* P100 flat rate for overnight parking for all types of cars;

* P50 flat rate for overnight parking for motorcycles;

* P100 flat rate for valet service, in addition to the regular parking fee;

* P100 in addition to parking fees for lost or damaged parking ticket;

* P200 in addition to parking fees for lost or damaged parking card.

The bill also mandates a grace period of 15 minutes for pass-through customers who will be allowed to park for free, and likewise provides free parking for the first three hours for customers who spend at least five hundred pesos in the establishment.

“While we respect the businesses that help grow our economy, we also need to balance and protect the interests of the majority. So we should just regulate the parking fees that sometimes are no longer fair,” Revilla said in Filipino.

Some parking facilities and office parking spaces in the country, especially in central business districts, charge exorbitant fees that could go as high as P400 for eight hours, which is already a huge portion of the daily wage of workers availing themselves of the parking space. (KOC with PR)