Senior citizens and persons with disabilities may soon find themselves parking apart from one another after a bill was filed in Congress requiring the creation of dedicated parking spaces exclusive to each.
House Bill 1037, filed by Representative Joey Tambunting of Parañaque City’s second district, “seeks to regulate the conduct of business parking station by proprietors who usually impose exorbitant parking fees at malls, hotels, and other business establishments to the detriment of customers.”
“The bill also mandates the creation of parking spaces for persons with disability (PWD) and allocation of specific slots for senior citizens,” the House of Representatives said in a press release.
Currently, most parking facilities and areas have senior citizens utilize slots reserved for PWDs. If House Bill 1037 pushes through into law, this might no longer be the case. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and other concerned government agencies will be tasked with coming up with “the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.”
House Bill 1037 also aims to “redefine and regulate contractual agreements,” Tambunting says. This includes stipulations that parking operators will not be held liable for any loss or damage a vehicle incurs while parked—a practice that Tambunting calls very disadvantageous to the paying public.
Do you agree with Tambunting’s sentiments? And should parking areas dedicate more slots to PWDs and senior citizens? Let us know what you think in the comments.
