VM Rodriguez expresses dismay on pay parking along uptown road

City Vice Mayor Jocelyn B. Rodriguez on Wednesday expressed dismay to the management of one of the developers in the city over the implementation of pay parking in the uptown areas.

This, as the City Council committee on subdivision and landed estate chaired by Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas, discussed the issues and concerns of the Federation of Uptown Village Homeowners Association, Inc. (FUVHOAI) such as the implementation of parking fees, installation of traffic lights and street lights, construction of drainage canal, deployment of police personnel, and regulations on commercial establishment operations, among others.

During the committee meeting, Vice Mayor Rodriguez recalled she was once issued with a citation ticket for alleged illegal parking at the Pueblo Business Park in Upper Carmen. She said she was unaware that the premises is a pay parking area.

“There was no signage. Wala’y notice. Never did I have to think nga kini (road) diay pay parking,” she stressed.

The vice mayor said she already wrote a letter to the management asking for enlightenment but sadly there was no reply.

She said she wanted to ask whether the management is deputized to issue tickets to those who park supposedly on a public road.

A representative of Pueblo de Oro explained that Pueblo Business Park is a private-commercial property and they implemented pay parking in the area to assist its locators in providing additional parking to their customers.

He said while the RA 6541 or the National Building Code of the Philippines requires all commercial buildings to provide a minimum parking slot, oftentimes it is not enough to cater clients of Pueblo de Oro establishments.

The pay parking also discourages loitering and drinking along streets and also prevent loud noise that disturbs neighboring villages.

He expressed his apology to Vice Mayor Rodriguez for failure to respond to her immediately. He said it is due to some cases that the management are trying to answer including security in the area.

Councilor Cabanlas asked the management to discontinue the collection of pay parking to the public for the meantime.

For his part, Councilor Jose Pepe S. Abbu, Jr. suggested that the issues and concerns be referred to the respective committees for proper disposition.

With this, Councilor Cabanlas referred the concern on parking fees, installation of traffic lights and street lights and on deployment of police personnel to the committee on roads, traffic and management and to the committee on public order and safety both chaired by Councilor Romeo V. Calizo; while the issue on drainage canal to the committee on public works chaired by Councilor John Michael Seno; and the regulations on commercial establishment operations be referred to the committee on trade and commerce chaired by Councilor George S. Goking.