The 39 city-hired parking attendants in charge of collecting parking fees within the central business district have not yet received their salaries since April 16 due to revenue deficit.
Engr. Januario Borillo, Transport Management Division head of the City Engineering Office, informed the city council the closure of Session Road every Sunday and the suspension of the parking operation along the stretch of Kayang Hilltop Road in the wake of the pandemic have significantly reduced the city’s revenue obtained from the collection of pay parking fees in designated roads/streets within the CBD.
The two-hour free parking of senior citizens pursuant to Ordinance 149-2020 also accounts for the reduced parking revenue, Borillo said.
By virtue of Ordinance 68-2020, pay parking along Session Road, Kayang Hilltop Road, and other streets/roads has been legalized to remedy certain traffic woes in the CBD such as disorganized parking and rampant obstruction.
Collection of parking fees in these designated streets/roads starts from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., with the parking attendants having two working shifts which are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Under Ordinance 68-2020, 40 percent of the fees collected is set aside for the provision of salaries and other benefits of the parking attendants. The 60 percent is remitted to the City Treasury Office as an additional income of the city.
Borillo said the 40 percent of the total collection no longer suffices to pay the parking attendants and that a different profit sharing scheme should be applied to offset the deficit.
“Maybe we can do away with the 40-60 sharing scheme. We ensure first the salaries of the parking attendants and their other needs. Whatever amount left will be remitted to the city government,” Borillo proposed.
Cognizant of the problem, Councilor Benny Bomogao has filed a proposed ordinance suspending the 40-60 sharing scheme. – Jordan G. Habbiling
