DILG to ask Congress to pass law on ‘no garage, no car’ policy

DILG Spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya. (Photo from his FB account)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday it will ask Congress to pass a law that will not allow the sale of a vehicle if the buyer cannot prove he has a garage where the vehicle can be parked.

DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said this will be part of the government’s efforts to ease traffic in parts of the country, as the department also intensifies its drive to reclaim public roads.

“We will ask Congress for a law which will prohibit the sale of new cars, if you cannot prove that you have parking, you should not be sold a car,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Malaya said the proposed policy should also prohibit car owners to buy more vehicles if they won’t have sufficient parking space for additional vehicles.

“We are now in a crisis situation that we need crisis solutions. Just like what we did in Boracay, Manila Bay, and in the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office). It has to be like that,” he said, referring to the rehabilitation of Boracay and Manila Bay for cleanup and the shutdown of gaming outlets operated by the PCSO except Lotto amid alleged corruption in the agency.

During the 17th Congress, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 201, to be called the Proof of Parking Space Act, which sought the implementation of policy being proposed by Malaya.

Malaya said that the DILG will support bills that will be filed in the 18th Congress like the one pushed by Gatchalian.

“I think that will be one of the long term solutions to our parking problem,” he said.

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