The Metro Manila Council (MMC) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) agreed with the proposal of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ban parking on all public streets between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. to reduce traffic congestion.
The MMC, composed of the 15 mayors in the National Capital Region and the policy-making body of the MMDA, is set to create a technical working group (TWG) on the matter.
This initiative is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to maintain the integrity of cleared roads, prevent the recurrence of obstructions, and ensure continuous safe access for all road users.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and re-elected MMC President San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora led the meeting held at the PNP Multi-Purpose Hall in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Friday, August 1, 2025.
During the MMC meeting, the DILG proposed a solution to alleviate traffic congestion, particularly by prohibiting parking on all public streets between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
“The law says that public streets are not for public enterprise. We will now designate them as ‘no parking zones,’ especially those that affect Metro Manila’s traffic,” Remulla explained.
Artes, on the other hand, suggested implementing the parking ban on all public streets, aligned with the MMDA’s expanded number coding scheme, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The MMDA and DILG sought feedback and suggestions from the local chief executives of Metro Manila, and all parties agreed to form a TWG to further study the matter.
“We will come up with the final version on September 1. It will be a whole-of-city map—a work in progress,” said Remulla, assuring that the implementation will be done on a granular level.
“The intent is to make Metro Manila a more liveable, cohesive, and safer place to live,” the DILG secretary added.
“On the part of the MMDA, parking is absolutely prohibited on all major thoroughfares, including Mabuhay Lanes. This is non-negotiable for us,” Artes emphasized.
The MMDA chief cited a Supreme Court (SC) ruling on a petition filed by the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, stating that the MMDA has exclusive authority to enforce traffic laws, rules, and regulations, and that local government units in Metro Manila may participate in these functions only when their traffic enforcers are deputized by the MMDA.
