If you frequent the busy areas in Quezon City like Maginahawa or Tomas Morato, you’re bound to see a lot of reserved parking slots either along the sidewalks or on the pavements. Here’s what most might not know: that is illegal. See those signs or makeshift cones or bolsters that block you from taking a slot, complete with a manong or manang who would wave you away because someone “owns” that slot? Yes, that is definitely illegal.
Quezon City Ordinance No. SP-1465 in a nutshell: no such thing as exclusive or reserved parking slots
While not a law of the land, there is an ordinance that applies to Quezon City and the rampant reservation of parking slots for private or exclusive use. As is explicitly stated per the Ordinance, “any person, natural or juridical, is prohibited from reserving a portion of public streets, avenues, sidewalks, alleys, and other public open spaces for his/her/its exclusive use…” The same provision also illegalizes the putting up of “markings or signage ‘reserved’ in any of the places mentioned.” What does this mean, exactly?
First, this is about public parking slots in public areas. Public parking slot examples would be the government-“built” or painted slots right on the pavement or along sidewalks (for parallel parking). In contrast, this does not apply to private slots such as marked spaces inside any establishment’s lot. If it is not within, under, inside, or enclosed within your property’s legal perimeter, then all slots outside and alongside are free game for everyone.
QC LGU officials and MMDA can invoke SP-1465 to enforce the law
Photo: MMDA Facebook Page
Going back, this is a City Ordinance. The enforcement of this/these rule/s will mainly fall on the LGU’s enforcers and barangay officials to carry out. But given that Quezon City is part of and under the MMDA‘s jurisdiction, the agency can simply invoke SP-1465 plus the land’s laws on illegal parking as bases for towing any illegally parked vehicle away.
Ordinances themselves do have dictated penalties for non-compliance. In the case of reserving and using “exclusive” parking slots, the following fines and punishments await violators:
First Offense – Fine of not less than Two Thousand Pesos (PHP 2,000.00)
Second Offense – Fine of not less than Three Thousand Pesos (PHP 3,000.00)
Third and Final Offense – Fine of not less than Five Thousand Pesos (PHP 5,000.00) or imprisonment of not more than six (6) months or both at the sound discretion of the court
Not exactly peanuts as far as amounts go, isn’t it?
Now comes the question that many of us may have: what if the resident guards or “bantay” maintains the “exclusivity” of the parking slot/s and do not comply with SP-1465? As far as the QC LGU is concerned, we can call their hotline at 122 to report the incident, and we are promised an immediate response by the relevant LGU officials.
Here’s the rub. Quezon City Ordinance SP-1465 was passed by the City Council on December 7, 2004, and was subsequently approved on January 4, 2005. It has been 17 years, 10 months, and 5 days to the day since. And yet the fact remains that not too many know that this actually exists.
Photo: MMDA
But we do hope to remedy this by way of this article. Citizens of Quezon City, there is no such thing as a reserved or exclusive parking slot in any public area. Motorists will do well to remember that. As for those who practice blocking off the curb in front of their house for their exclusive use, while we get that you may really need that slot, unfortunately, what you’re doing is illegal according to the City’s laws. It’s best that you stop that practice now, lest get your vehicle towed.
Parking slots are for everyone, ladies and gentlemen. In the spirit of fairness, and a couple of thousand Pesos that will be charged for having your car towed, let’s all make sure that we do the right thing, and park in a proper parking slot.
