Learning to solve parking problems

The Jakarta City Administration invited a group of reporters to visit the Philippine capital of Manila last week in order to learn how the administration can improve its parking services to the public here. The Jakarta Post reporter Ida Indawati Khouw participated in the trip and filed the following report on the parking business in Manila.

MANILA (JP): The Jakarta local government has repeatedly claimed to suffer serious headaches in handling the chronic parking problems in the capital and asked for a short course on the matter from the Metro Manila administration.

Such a course might not be desperately needed if Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, or the next governor, and his staff of related agencies copied the diligence and tough and consistent law enforcement adopted by their Filipino counterparts.

Although the city is still facing abundant urban problems, such as endless traffic jams like many major cities in the region, Manila could be dubbed a successful city for managing the parking problem, particularly in the crowded Makati central business district (CBD).

The parking officials in Makati strictly impose the rules without looking at the status of the vehicle owners.

If someone parks his or her car in the crowded area for three hours and goes over the time limit by one minute, they should have 500 pesos (US$12.80) ready as the vehicle will be immediately impounded at the headquarters of Makati Parking Authority Inc. (MAPA).

Here the owner will be charged 300 pesos for the towing service and a fine worth 200 pesos.

As in Jakarta, Manila does not have adequate methods to clock regulated parking. But that does not mean that parking officials will tolerate those breaching the time limit.

The parking fee for the first two hours is set at 30 pesos per car.

"But if you extend for another hour, you'll be given another ticket with a blue box signed with a 40 pesos fee," MAPA's general manager Deogracias Q. San Miguel told the visiting journalists from Jakarta.

If the parking officials find later that the parked car has exceeded the three-hour limit, they will immediately impose a rule that the car should leave the site first instead of staying longer.

The 11-year-old system, Deogracias said, proved to be a successful technique adopted by Manila in reducing the number of cars parked on the street in the six-square-kilometer CBD, which used to be a popular spot for traffic congestion.

Ten years ago, it served a total of 1.4 million cars in Makati's street parking lots. Last year, the figure dropped to some one million cars.

The enforcement of the rule "should start with imposing disciplines, starting with those in higher positions," Deogracias said.

He said the new system was merely aimed at reducing the number of cars parked on the street while promoting parking in lots provided by buildings.

"Usually, people are reluctant to park their cars in the lots available in certain buildings because the location is usually far away from where they want to go. So besides limiting the parking hours, we also impose high fees," he said.

"The high fee is not aimed at collecting more money but to decrease the number of cars parked on the street," he said.

Unlike Jakarta, where motorists do not receive a receipt from parking officials, allowing them to impose whatever amount they please, MAPA officers give the first two-hour parking ticket -- signed with a green box on the top right-hand corner -- with the car number and parking time written on it.

In one day, Makati management tows 30 cars, including those parked on no-parking sites.

Tow trucks are always ready at several strategic areas from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

"After that, parking is free of charge because it has become an almost deserted area," Deogracias said.

Like Jakarta and many other cities, Manila also provides no safety insurance for vehicles to owners.

"I think in every country, like Japan and the United States, the fee for parking on the street does not cover insurance. The fee is just calculated as a privilege for using the facilities.

Of course, we'll try our best to protect the cars from being damaged or something," he added.

The general manager also acknowledged that there was still the possibility of collusion among its 200 staff members.

To minimize the cases, MAPA deployed some staff members, called area leaders, as well as supervisors to control the parking officials.

"The controllers should deposit parking revenue with the cashiers at the MAPA office," Deogracias said.

From 1,600 parking spots in Makati, the parking authority collects an average of 121,000 pesos a day, he explained.

The bookkeeping was made transparent because the monthly financial report can be easily read on the announcement board by anyone.

Deogracias said the success story of Makati's parking management was also a model for other areas managed by the Metro Manila administration.

It was unfortunate that reporters did not have a chance to confirm Deogracias' statements due to limited time.

But you don't have to be pessimistic because Deogracias' story was fully supported by Tennike Erman, the second secretary of the Indonesian Embassy here.

"The program can be successful because law enforcement is effective here," Tennike said.

Deogracias said the first and most important way to make the scheme a success was to provide a good salary to improve the welfare of the parking officials.

MAPA, a joint venture nonprofit organization between the private sectors and the city administration of Makati, spent a large portion of its 800,000 pesos investment on the employees, he said.

The lowest basic salary of a MAPA parking official is 7,000 pesos, "which is enough to finance a family of three children and rent a house," he said.

The highest pay is 11,000 pesos.

Besides having a 15-day annual leave and 60-day leave for maternity, the officials also have a one-day leave every year for their birthday and three days for a honeymoon.

A married male employee, whose wife just gave birth, also has a 15-day leave.

"We assume that his wife can't take care of the baby herself at the moment," Deogracias said.

He ended the interview by saying that 75 percent of the income is allocated for the employees.