Solon Pushes for Passage of Proof-of-Parking Space Bill

Following President Rodrigo Duterte's recent remark that the only campaign promise he made during the 2016 presidential election that he has yet to deliver is to solve the traffic on EDSA, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of the proof-of-parking space bill as an alternative to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

In Senate Bill 201, or the 'Act Regulating the Sale of Motor Vehicles in Metro Manila by Requiring a Proof-of-Parking Space as a Prerequisite for the Purchase of a Motor Vehicle' which Gatchalian filed in June 2016, the sale of motor vehicles in Metro Manila will be regulated by requiring prospective buyers to prove that they have parking space.

"We are now putting the responsibility on the car owners: if you buy cars, you have to make sure that you have a parking space for your vehicle, and not park on the streets," the neophyte solon said in a statement. " This could potentially clear our side streets of obstructions, which in turn could be used as alternate routes to decongest EDSA."

Gatchalian also urged President Duterte to certify the bill as priority measure for the next Congress.

"Ipagpapatuloy nating isusulong ang panukalang batas na ito hanggang sa tuluyan itong maging batas (We will continue to push for the passage of this bill until it becomes a law). I therefore humbly urge the President to declare this one of his priority measures for the 18th Congress to hasten its passage," he said.