Prospective car buyers would need to show proof that they have adequate garage or parking space before they will be allowed to buy one.

This is the conditon that Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco wants to institutionalize under House Bill (HB) No. 31.

The bill, or the proposed “No Garage, No Registration Act,” aims to “lessen traffic congestion, curb the number of private vehicles, provide safe and uncluttered pathways, where people may freely walk to their destinations, and maintain a clean and healthy environment by clearing the streets of parked motor vehicles and other similar clutter that reduce the space intended for human and vehicular traffic".

Under the bill, persons with residential and business address in metropolitan areas who intend to buy a motor vehicle must execute a notarized affidavit as proof that they have a parking facility for that motor vehicle.

The bill listed Metro Manila, Angeles, Bacolod, Baguio, Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Dagupan, Davao, Iloilo, Naga, and Olongapo as "metropolitan areas", although the provision will not be limited to these areas.

The affidavit will be a prerequisite for motor registration with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“No motor vehicle may be legally conveyed in the absence of a public document duly attested to by the prospective buyer of a motor vehicle and acknowledged before a notary public, that a permanent parking space or facility already exists for the motor vehicle which is subject of the sale,” the bill said.

Motorists who will be guilty of faking the affidavit will have their registrations revoked. They will be disallowed to register a vehicle under their names for three years. A fine of P50,000 will also be imposed for every violation.

On the other hand, any employee of the LTO who allowed the registration without the required document could face a suspension of three months without pay.

If the bill becomes a law, the LTO will be asked to secure the affidavits and produce them when there are claims or evidence that a motorist was able to buy a car without an existing garage.

Concerned individuals may report vehicles parked on streets, alleys or pathways to the LTO, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the metropolitan coordinating council, or the engineering office of the local government unit (LGU).

Personnel of the LTO, MMDA, metropolitan coordinating council, LGU engineering office, and law enforcement agencies should conduct ocular inspection to implement the law.