• CHERYL G. CRUZ
More than 170 areas in Bacolod City, including around the public plaza and markets, have been designated as pay-parking zones, as per an ordinance approved on third and final reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod June 19.
The Parking Spaces Regulation ordinance, authored by Councilor Al Victor Espino, provides for parking fees, rates, and service fees, depending on the type of vehicle and parking duration; as well as fines and penalties for parking in designated areas without booking tickets, among other violations.
Espino, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transport and Traffic, said that “regulating the streets and/or areas in the City of Bacolod and prescribing fees for parking…will generate more revenue and income for the City.”
He said this would also create a “management system on the fair and balance use of pay parking zones, and reduce traffic congestion.”
The ordinance also states that the management and administration of the identified pay parking areas could be delegated to a third party that won in a public bidding, under Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
This third party would have the authority to tow vehicles, and charge fees and penalties. “The City recognizes that the participation of a third party in local governance, particularly in the delivery of basic services, shall be encouraged to ensure the viability of local autonomy as an alternative strategy for sustainable development.”
“The City of Bacolod shall have a share of not less than 15 percent of the total collected parking fees for the first two years of operation (of the third party), and not less than 20 percent on the third and succeeding years, subject to the period agreed upon by the City Mayor,” Espino said in the ordinance. | CGC
