BAGUIO CITY – The local government issued the appropriate notices to the owners of some twenty-six establishments in the city for them to cause the return of the designated parking spaces within their establishments that were converted to business spaces.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said that the local government gave the owners of the establishments at least 6 months to return the parking spaces within their establishments to prevent the local government from imposing stiffer penalties against them.
He claimed that the return of the designated parking spaces in the said establishments will definitely help in preventing the illegal parking of motor vehicles of the clients of the said establishments as the owners should not only deal with customers but also the parking spaces for the vehicles of those transacting business in the offices and establishments located in the said buildings.
The local government’s all-out campaign to compel owners of buildings that converted their parking spaces to business spaces to return the parking spaces started during the previous administration where there were numerous building owners that already returned their parking areas that were converted to business establishments.
Earlier, the previous council also passed an ordinance providing building owners that converted their parking spaces to business spaces to return their parking spaces where they were given at least 6 months to comply with the said mandate.
One of the penalties that will be imposed by the local government against the erring building owners who refuse to comply with the return of their designated parking spaces after the 6-month period is the cancellation of the building’s occupancy permit that will result to the closure of all the establishments operating in the said buildings.
The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) was tasked to monitor the compliance of the erring building owners to return their designated parking areas so that there will be more parking spaces that will be available within buildings to prevent the practice of many individuals who park their vehicles on roads and that impede the smooth flow of traffic considering the absence of parking spaces in the establishments where they transact business.
Under the pertinent provisions of Presidential Decree (PD) 1096 or the National Build Code, owners of buildings are mandated to provide sufficient parking within their structures for the use of their tenants and their clients so as not to contribute in the prevalence of illegal parking of vehicles along roads and sidewalks.
Local officials stipulated that the absence of parking areas in buildings because of their conversion to business spaces has contributed in the congestion along major roads in the city considering that vehicles are simply parked on the roadsides instead of being parked in provided parking spaces within structures.
The CBAO will provide periodic updates on the compliance of building owners to the directive to return the parking spaces within their structures so that the local government will be aware of whatever future actions that will be undertaken against the erring building owners who seem to prefer more profit instead of providing convenience to their tenants and clients.
By Dexter A. See