VOLUME XCVII / NO. 3 · NOVEMBER 26, 2025 · THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS · Manila, Philippines
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Special Report
NEW OPERATOR TAKES OVER CAR PARK REHAB BEGINS AS UST ENDS 20-YEAR DEAL WITH SELEGNA HOLDINGS By Fritz Nathan A. Diaz, Alexandra S. Demaisip, Luis Angelo N. Palma and Justin Jacob S. Urag
FLEXIT Mobility Solutions Inc. officially took over the Multi-Deck Parking (MDP) Building on Nov. 16, a day after the contract between UST and private contractor and operator Selegna Holdings Inc. expired. The new operator kept the student rate at P40 for the first four hours and P15 per hour for succeeding hours. But it imposed a new overnight parking rate of P1,000 on top of the regular rate, significantly higher than the old base rate of P50. Charles Isaac Deita, FlexIT chief executive officer, explained that the high overnight rate was meant to discourage outsiders from using the MDP for longer parking. FlexIT discovered that more than 100 of the car park’s 600 slots were occupied by outsiders who had practically turned the slots into their garages, said Deita, a former faculty member of UST Junior High School. “There are outsiders within the range who park here simply because it’s cheaper. Now, the Thomasians who are supposed to benefit from the parking facility are not being served,” he told the Varsitarian. “We need to cater to as many Thomasians as possible. We only have 600 slots. And 100-plus of these are already occupied by those non-UST users who parked their vehicles not only overnight but used the slots as their garage,” he added. Deita said the company was aware of parking rate concerns and aimed to balance service quality with affordability. ‘No interruption’
► The 20-year old UST car park undergoes rehabilitation work due to leaks, corrosion, and deteriorating fixtures. — PHOTOS BY CHLOE ELYSSE B. IBAÑEZ,
The transition will not interrupt daily use of the facility and the new operator is expected to implement new security, payment, and traffic-flow systems, UST Facilities Management Office (FMO) director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P. told the Varsitarian. “We are currently cleaning the whole area, and we’ll check the overall status—including the engineering and architectural aspects,” he said. FlexIT, a 15-year-old company, provides security and parking management services to clients in the retail, manufacturing, and property management sectors. Clients include SM Supermalls and Alfamart convenience stores.
The company plans to introduce innovations to improve daily operations, such as cashless payments and accommodations for electric vehicles, noting that these would be implemented gradually to avoid congestion at toll booths. “We target it by phase as soon as the FMO reaches out to us about their plans,” Deita said. Deita, who served as secretary of the UST Junior High School from 2015 to 2017, emphasized that operations would remain aligned with existing University policies. “Kung ano man ‘yong existing protocols of the University, we will adopt it since this is part of the University,” he said, noting the importance of the MDP to Thomasians. Major establishments at the MDP building were told to cease operations and pull out on Nov. 15, when the University ended its contract with the carpark’s private contractor and operator. The list covered all car park restaurants, cafes, and stores, namely Lawson, Starbucks, Cozy Nook, Chowking, Tapa King, Subway, Muramasa, Pancake House, Eva’s, KyuKyu Ramen, Icebergs, Bonchon, and Apple retail store Power Mac, based on an Oct. 21 memo sent out by the car park firm, Selegna Holdings Corp., a copy of which was obtained by the Varsitarian. Food establishments will resume operations and deal with the Office of the Vice Rector of Finance. Makati-based Selegna Holdings operated the MDP for 20 years since the structure was completed in 2005. Rehabilitation
Leaks, corrosion, and deteriorating fixtures have prompted the University to begin rehabilitation work in the 20-year-old UST car park, Austria told the Varsitarian. This came ahead of the expiration of the University’s extended contract with Selegna Holdings on Nov. 15. To address safety concerns and complaints, Austria said the FMO took the initiative to address maintenance issues that had been left unattended by the operator. He said the FMO oversaw repairs on the facility’s sewage treatment plant. “Selegna has been the operator since time immemorial kasi siya ‘yong proponent [sa contract], [and] I’m not quite sure if they have done anything,” Austria said. CARPARK REHAB PAGE 11
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WITNESS ► PAGE 3
EDITORIAL ► PAGE 4
SPORTS ► PAGE 11
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