By Hannah L. Torregoza
The bill requiring prospective vehicle owners to present proof of having a parking space is soon to be approved in the Senate.
The Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship has formed a Technical Working Group to further study Senate Bill No. 201 or the proposed Proof of Parking Space Act after the measure received full support from different civil society and government representatives during the panel’s recent hearing.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, author of the bill, believes the measure will help ease traffic congestion in the country.
Because the measure, he said, principally aims to instill a culture of responsible vehicle ownership among Filipinos. “The concept really here is responsibility when you buy vehicles. We are now putting the responsibility on the car owners,” Gatchalian said.
“If you buy cars, you have to make sure that you have a parking space for your own vehicle,” he added.
Gatchalian said he believes passage of the measure is relevant at this time as many motorists complain of traffic congestion and constant road blocks due to lack of parking spaces.
“I think this is quite relevant at this time because, if you try to pass the side streets to avoid traffic in major thoroughfares, there is a greater chance that you’ll get stuck in traffic due to the cars parked along the narrow streets,” he said.
Under the measure, individuals and businesses based within Metro Manila would only be allowed to purchase vehicles after the execution of an affidavit confirming that they have acquired – either through purchase or lease – a parking space for the vehicle they wish to acquire.
The bill also mandates the LTO, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and local government units to conduct frequent inspections of major and minor thoroughfares across the National Capital Region to remove illegally parked vehicles and punish vehicle owners who refuse to comply with the law.