Gatchalian pushes for law on parking regulation
REPRESENTATIVE Weslie T. Gatchalian has renewed his call for the immediate passage of the bill seeking to protect consumers against security threats in parking spaces as well as regulate the imposition of “unreasonable and exorbitant” parking fees by various establishments, including shopping malls, schools, and hospitals. Mr. Gatchalian of Valenzuela City’s 1st District made the call after ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Rowena Niña O. Taduran’s belongings worth around P240,000 were stolen after thieves broke into her vehicle while it was parked at a Quezon City mall last January 6. In the explanatory note of House Bill (HB) 3262, or the Parking Fees Regulation Act, Mr. Gatchalian said operators of parking facilities “undermines the trust given to them by consumers” by imposing a waiver of liability in case of loss property or damage to the customer’s vehicle. Mr. Gatchalian also noted that operators “have abused the lack of regularization in the commercial parking industry,” adding that these operators have been charging “exorbitant fees.” The proposed law aims to standardize rates. — Genshen L. Espedido
PHL bars 160 foreign sex offenders in 2019
A TOTAL of 160 foreign sex offenders were denied entry to the country in 2019, the Bureau of Immigrations (BI) said in a statement on Thursday. BI said Americans accounted for the highest number at 128, followed by 11 Britons, six Australians, four Chinese, and two New Zealanders. Also listed is a Cameroonian, a Canadian, a German, a Guatemalan, an Irish, a Korean, a Malaysian, a Russian, and a Taiwanese, the bureau said. BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton SP. Medina said the number of registered sex offenders who were not allowed in was slightly higher than the 145 barred in 2018. Mr. Medina said they were immediately returned to their port of origin. Registered sex offenders are those who were convicted of sex crimes, including rape and molesting of minors, in their country and have finished serving sentence or are currently out on parole or probation. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
