San Juan City Mayor and re-elected Metro Manila Council (MMC) president Francis Zamora said that a total ban on street parking may face challenges, following the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) proposal to prohibit parking on all public streets to help ease traffic congestion in the National Capital Region (NCR).

On Friday, August 1, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Atty. Don Artes, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and Zamora led a meeting at the PNP Multi-Purpose Hall in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

During the meeting, the DILG proposed a solution to alleviate traffic congestion, particularly by prohibiting parking on all public streets between 5 a.m. to 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.

“The intent is to make Metro Manila a more livable, cohesive, and safer place to live,” the DILG secretary added.

Meanwhile, Artes 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.

In a radio interview on Saturday, Aug. 2, Zamora explained that one of the options being considered is a total parking ban, which would prohibit parking on all streets.

“When you say total ban, talagang lahat po ng kalye ay bawal (It means all streets would strictly be no-parking zones),” he said.

“Kung total ban po talaga kahit na yung mga inner roads ay pagbabawalang pumarada, ang tanong po, saan na po talaga paparada ang ating mga sasakyan (If it is truly a total ban, even inner roads would no longer allow parking, the question now is, where will people park their vehicles?),” he added.

While he acknowledged the goal of easing traffic, Zamora expressed concern over the scope of a total ban, noting that some roads, such as inner roads or those not heavily used by vehicles, could still accommodate regulated parking under existing local ordinances.

“Yung main road, may ban po d'yan. Yung roads na talagang ma-traffic, may ban po d'yan... ngunit yung mga inner roads, mga tertiary roads na malayo naman po sa main roads natin, 'yung 'di naman talaga dinadaanan ng mga sasakyan masyado (Main roads are covered by the ban. Traffic-heavy roads are also covered... but inner roads or tertiary roads that are far from our main roads and not frequently used by vehicles can still be used for parking),” he explained.

The MMDA and DILG sought feedback and suggestions from the local chief executives of Metro Manila, and all parties agreed to form a technical working group 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,” Remulla said.

“On the part of the MMDA, parking is absolutely prohibited on all major thoroughfares, including Mabuhay Lanes. This is non-negotiable for us,” Artes stressed.

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 (FEJODAP), 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.