Monday, June 7, 2021

Parking revenue deficit delays collectors’ pay

By Jordan Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- The 39 parking attendants  hired by the city government in charge of collecting parking fees within the central business district have not yet received their salaries since April 16 due to revenue deficit.
    Engineer Januario Borillo, Transport Management Division chief of the City Engineering Office, told the Baguio City Council during last Monday’s regular session that the closure of Session Road every Sunday and suspension of parking operation along Kayang Hilltop Road in the wake of the pandemic significantly reduced the city’s revenue of pay parking fees in designated roads within the CBD.
    The 2-hour free parking of senior citizens pursuant to ordinance 149-2020 also accounts for the reduced parking revenue, Borillo said.
    By virtue of the ordinance, pay-parking along Session Road, Kayang Hilltop Road, and other streets/roads has been legalized to remedy traffic woes in the CBD such as disorganized parking and rampant obstruction.
    Collection of parking fees in these designated streets starts 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. with parking attendants having two working shifts which are 7 a.m. -2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
    Under Ordinance 68-2020, 40% of the total collection of parking fees is set aside for salaries and benefits of parking attendants.
    The 60% is remitted to the City Treasury Office as an additional income of the city.
    Borillo said 40% 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 said.
    Councilor Benny Bomogao has previously filed a proposed ordinance suspending the provision of Ordinance 68-2020 prescribing the 40-60 sharing scheme.
    The proposed ordinance has been approved on first reading. Before it takes effect, the ordinance should first hurdle the second and third and final reading and should be approved by the city mayor.
    The matter has been referred to the sanggunian’s committee on public utilities, transport, and traffic legislation chaired by Bomogao for further study.

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