Revenue Deficit in Pay Parking delays wages of Collectors
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 Baguio City Council during last Monday’s regular session that 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 2-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 in order 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 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM, with the parking attendants having two working shifts which are 7:00 AM-2:00 PM and 2:00 PM-7:00 PM.
Under Ordinance 68-2020, 40% of the total collection of parking fees is set aside to be utilized for the provision of salaries and other benefits of the parking attendants. The 60% is remitted to the City Treasury Office as an additional income of the city.
Borillo stated that the 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 proposed.
Cognizant of the problem, 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. –Jordan G. Habbiling
