Cebu City eyes affordable parking at I.T. Park

CEBU, Philippines — Motorists and car owners who have to pay what they described as “outrageous” parking fees at the Cebu I.T. Park can soon heave a sigh of relief.

Cebu City government is looking to develop and operate a parking area in a province-owned lot at the I.T. Park, and the rates will be much cheaper.

This was the city’s response to reports that some parking operators in the area are charging customers “exorbitant” fees that reportedly go as a high as P50 per hour.

In a September 5 letter addressed to Governor Hilario Davide III, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the city is willing to enter a possible arrangement with the province to use Capitol’s idle lot, which is located across the park, near Honda building.

“I am willing to discuss terms, in such a way that the province will benefit from its income, and at the same time, we will be able to help our BPO (business process outsourcing) employees who will utilize the parking area,” the mayor wrote.

Over the years, the Cebu I.T. Park has earned the reputation of being the BPO hub of the province, attracting thousands of workers. Enterprising owners of unused lots near the area take advantage of the big influx of people by operating pay parking businesses.

The FREEMAN visited one of the pay parking areas at the park yesterday. A tarpaulin there read that P40 will be charged for the first four hours of parking, and P10 for every succeeding hour.

For motorcycles, the flat parking rate was P25.

The parking’s entrance is located at the back of a fast-food chain at the I.T. Park and the business is managed by Global Parking I.T. Park Cebu.

On his official Facebook page, Osmeña wrote that the initial plan is to let motorists park their vehicles at P20 per 12 hours or lower if possible, as long as operational expenses are covered.

Osmeña further wrote that he already talked to Davide, and that the governor has initially agreed with the plan.

Osmeña added that the city will remit all proceeds to the provincial government.

He said he also wants to deploy a shuttle to ferry BPO employees to or from their companies within the vicinity of I.T. Park.

 “I cannot control how much a business wants to charge, but I can give them a little competition so they can no longer monopolize the service. Hopefully, this will make them lower their prices. In the meantime, the city and provincial governments are working together to provide a more affordable alternative,” read part of Osmeña’s post.

Francisco Fernandez, the mayor’s executive assistant, said city and Capitol officials have yet to meet and discuss further details about the proposal, including the date of the start of operation.

Davide, for his part, welcomed Osmeña’s pitch.

Before going on a trip to Korea last week, Davide received a call from the mayor, asking permission to use the province-owned lot.

“I said sure, why not? Just communicate with me officially so that we can take it up," Davide told reporters yesterday.

Davide said he will talk further with Osmeña to iron out other details, after which he will lobby the proposal before the Provincial Board. (FREEMAN)