MTPB: Only seniors, PWDs exempt from parking fees

City government officials and personnel are not covered by Ordinance 8559, which exempts certain sectors from paying the initial parking rate in designated areas within the city of Manila and does not apply to overnight parking.

Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau chief Dennis Viaje said the implementation of the ordinance applies only to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs), and only to parking areas in shopping malls, streets, hospitals, or other establishments and similar places charging the same, situated within Manila.

The ordinance, which was passed in 2019 and titled “Manila City Senior Citizens and PWDs Free Initial Rate in the Parking Fees Ordinance of 2019,” exempts senior citizens and PWDs from paying initial parking fees.

Viaje also clarified that the exemption does not cover overnight parking.

To avail of the exemption, a senior citizen must present a valid senior citizen ID card issued by the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs or any other government-issued ID that establishes senior citizen status.

A PWD must present a PWD ID issued by the National Council on Disability Affairs upon entry into establishments, malls, hospitals or parking areas. The ID holder must also be the passenger or driver of the vehicle.

Violation of the ordinance by a cashier or booth attendant is punishable by imprisonment of one to 30 days, a fine of P500, or both, at the discretion of the court.

For managers, operators or owners of the establishments, violation is punishable by one to 30 days’ imprisonment, a fine of P2,000, or both.

Repeated violations may result in the revocation of the business permit of the parking area or space concerned.