Burnham fitness instructors press for lesser fees

By Jordan Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- A fitness instructor urged the city council Monday to reduce user fee paid by fitness instructors at Burnham Park.
    During the council session, Arman Lapastora, one of  fitness instructors at Burnham Park, suggested the 14 fitness instructors will be under one organization and will rent the two spaces, Jose Abad Santos Drive and Juan Luna Drive, for P700 for one hour in a day. 
    Under Section 31 of the Environment Code, the user fee for every hour of set-up time/rehearsal at Burnham Park is P350.
    Lapastora’s proposal, if approved, would require the 14 fitness instructors to chip in only P50 to complete rentals for both venues, an amount that is half of what they currently give to the city government as a fee for use of the park’s spaces. 
    Currently, each fitness instructor pays P100 for one-hour fitness activity at the park.
    Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, fitness instructors have been requesting that the user fee will either be discounted or waived.
    They claimed that the user fee is too high considering that the number of their clients have been reduced due to the pandemic.
    Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan and Councilor Joel Alangsab advised Lapastora to consult first his group then submit their proposal to the City Environment and Parks Management Office for consideration. 
    Marivic Empizo, assistant CEPMO head, said the user fee collected from the fitness instructors is used for maintenance of the park.
    Aside from the user fee, fitness instructors also pay for processing of their business permits. 
    Olowan said fitness instructors should impose a fixed payment for their clients to be able to pay required fees, recoup their losses, and increase their earnings.
    At present, clients only give voluntary contributions every session.
    “You are trained, therefore, you must be paid with respect to your skills,” he said.
    Councilors Philian Weygan-Allan and Betty Lourdes Tabanda said fitness instructors should be categorized as professionals.
    However, to make this happen, Tabanda said they should be accredited and recognized by a government agency or office.