DILG eyes 'No Garage, No Car' policy, asks Congress to pass law for it

An official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said the agency would urge Congress to pass a law that will prohibit the selling of cars to those who do not have a parking area.

According to DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya, this measure may ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, noting that illegally-parked vehicles have contributed a lot to heavy traffic.

"The solution here is a No Garage, No Car policy. But we need a law for that. We discuss this with the mayors, we understand that this is a big problem because of the one million vehicles that have no parking," Malaya said in an interview on ANC.

"We will ask Congress for a law which will prohibit the sale of a new cars... if you cannot prove that you have parking, then you should not be sold a car."

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has been pushing for the passage of a bill which would require prospective vehicle owners to present proof that they have a parking space for a new vehicle.

Gatchalian is the author of Proof of Parking Space Act or Senate Bill No. 201, which was filed in January during the 17th Congress.

Gatchalian has re-filed this proposed measure in the 18th Congress.

According to Malaya, the DILG will support the senator's proposed measure.  —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News