MMDA Seeks 400% Increase in Illegal Parking Fees

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) wants to raise illegal parking fees by 400 percent in a bid to deter motorists from parking their vehicles where they’re not supposed to.

MMDA Special Operations Group head Bong Nebrija said he met with representatives from Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG), traffic management heads of local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila, and Metro Manila Council (MMC) chairman and Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista  to discuss the feasibility of hiking the fee.

He said that those present in the meeting had no objections to the proposal, which would raise the fine for attended illegally-parked vehicles (those that have drivers inside) from PHP200 to PHP1,000.

Meanwhile, illegally parked cars unattended by their drivers/owners will be fined from PHP500 to PHP 2,000.

"We have to increase the fine to teach a lesson to traffic violators and at the same time to reduce traffic caused by bridge repairs," Nebrija told the media.

Nebrija added that though the increase has already been agreed upon. It still needs to be formalized and approved by the MMC before the MMDA can enforce it. He predicts that the new fines will be implemented before the year ends.