Senator Win Gatchalian on Sunday renewed his call for the immediate passage of the bill which would require prospective vehicle owners to present proof of ownership of a parking space before authorities allow them to acquire a new auto.
Gatchalian, author of Senate Bill No. 201, also known as the Proof-of-Parking Space Act, made the call as he threw his support behind the initiative of the Metro Manila Development Authority to impose heftier fines on illegally parked vehicles.
“We are pushing for SBN 201 or Proof-of-Parking Space Act to make vehicle owners responsible. The proposed law aims to ensure that before we purchase a vehicle, we should have a parking area,” he added.
Under the bill, 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 sought to be purchased.
LTO records show that the number of registered motor vehicles from the year 2015 until 2017 reached 10,410,814. There are an estimated 1,000 registrations each day, 600 of which are for newly purchased vehicles.
The bill also mandates the Land Transportation Office, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and local government units to conduct frequent ocular inspections of major and minor thoroughfares across the National Capital Region to remove illegally parked vehicles and to punish vehicle owners who refuse to comply with the law.
In October, the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship created a technical working group to refine the provisions of the bill.
“With this bill, we hope to make the National Capital Region a more livable place by decongesting the roads, taking a modest step toward solving Manila’s perennial traffic crisis in the process,” Gatchalian said.
The MMDA has raised the fine for attended illegally parked vehicles from its original price of P200 to P1,000. Drivers of unattended illegally parked vehicles, on the other hand, will now have to pay P2,000.
The senator believes that the MMDA’s initiative to decongest the already crowded streets of Metro Manila will be greatly complemented with the enactment of the Proof-of-Parking Space Act.
“The MMDA’s move to impose higher penalties may now prompt motorists to think twice before parking their cars along the streets. However, I believe that we still need a law that will instill a culture of responsible vehicle ownership among Filipinos,” the lawmaker said.