Photo courtesy: Councilor Danny Dayanghirang facebook page
By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – A city councilor urged Gaisano Mall of Davao to withdraw its newly implemented parking fee policy, warning that it places an unfair burden on customers and could influence other malls to adopt similar measures.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, chair of the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, and Appropriation, made the appeal during the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s regular session last Tuesday.
The mall in Bajada began charging parking fees on September 1 for both cars and motorcycles, according to an advisory it posted on Facebook last week. Parking had been free for years.
Dayanghirang said he supports consumer complaints against the move, stressing that shoppers should not have to pay additional charges after spending at the establishment.
“It was the philosophy before that malls should offer free parking as long as customers present their receipts, but now they are charging fees, and even increasing them,” he said in a local dialect.
Citing city regulations, Dayanghirang pointed out that the Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of 2012 authorizes the city to regulate public road use, while the 2013 Parking Fee Ordinance allows fees only on designated pay-parking zones — not within private commercial complexes.
He asked the City Attorney’s Office and the City Transport and Traffic Management Office to study possible guidelines on parking fees in private establishments, saying any policy should strike a balance between business interests and consumer welfare.
“We must protect the welfare of our people,” he said, adding that responsible commerce must go hand in hand with accessibility, especially for businesses in central areas of the city.
