The talk of the week has been the announcement of new parking rates for our airports. Especially glaring is the P1,200 fee for overnight parking for cars.

Not gonna lie. My first reaction when I learned of the news was: “Damn, that’s what putting a business-minded organization over NAIA will do for you.”

As you know, San Miguel Corporation formed the New NAIA Infra Corporation to take over and improve all the terminals of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Cheers were showered upon the report. At last, we all thought (okay, except the doubters), we would finally get world-class airfields. Hurray for tourism. Good for the country.

One could argue that the bar is so low that whatever NNIC decides to put on the drawing board should be a home run. Well, it seems to be a homer out of the field all right. From a P300 overnight parking fee for cars, the shocking rate is now P1,200. Or what you usually spend on a romantic date—with four-hour parking to boot.

Social media was filled with howls of protest condemning SMC. “Greedy!” they virtually screamed. “Garapal!” others said in the vernacular.

But is it?

We received a press statement from NNIC, and it explained the purpose of the new parking rates.

Previous parking rates unintentionally encouraged misuse of the airport’s limited parking spaces. Many individuals, including those from nearby establishments and with no airport-related business, were taking advantage of the low rates for overnight or long-term parking. This created parking shortage for actual passengers, adding to congestion and frustration.

The PR added that the new rates were to “prioritize passengers…reduce congestion…and improve efficiency.”

Indeed, when the clock struck 12 on October 1, the overnight parkers at Terminal 3 were like a crowd at a trapo rally.

I travel regularly, both domestically and internationally. I can’t tell you the many times I feared being late for my flight just because it took me forever to enter the airport premises and find a safe parking slot. I hear that airport parking was being used by casino players and office workers from nearby establishments. With the astronomical rise in parking fees, I expect the facilities to really serve travelers.

Wait, there’s more.

An insider tells me that they hope to free up at least 500 parking slots at Terminal 3 (and 1,500 slots for all terminals) for long-term parkers. That’s for scaring away non-travelers and discouraging them from stealing precious spaces.

My informant also shares that fixed-rate parking is being made available for P700 a month. Sounds too good to be true, but this comes straight from a trustworthy source.

To top it all, my source says that “85% of revenues go to government.”

Maybe there lies the problem: The money will be sent to unscrupulous coffers.

Oh, well.