Marikina City is taking the lead in cleaning up its streets in compliance with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)’s Memorandum Circular 2019-121 to “clear up roads of illegal structures and constructions.”

Now, the City, headed by its Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro is taking things a step further by requiring garage facilities in new houses / buildings before any building permit is issued. The ordinance, authored by Councilor Donn Favis was recently passed by the city council according to a report in The Manila Bulletin.

In the new city ordinance, it states: “Anyone who intends to construct a structure shall be required to show proof like the presentation of a building plan or blue print or, attesting to the availability of a permanent parking space or facility on his/her proposed construction as a requirement for the issuance of a building permit.”

According to Favis, the new ordinance is expected to reduce the number of vehicles parked on some roads where the city government currently allows street parking.

In his interview with The Manila Bulletin, he reiterates:

“The idea is to have a ‘No Car Garage, No Building Permit’ ordinance. So, technically it would be to require as a prerequisite for the application and approval of a building permit to have a vehicle provision for parking mandatory. That way, we could resolve iyong problem sa residential structures na nagpa-park sila sa roads.” 

“In Marikina, it is a no-no to park along sidewalks but, we are now, at certain specified roads allow one-side parking or both sides parking, or either sides no parking. So through that ordinance we can lessen vehicles parked on the roads and streets; de-clogging of course the traffic; handling problems with homeowners in conflict that are thinking that the road in front of their houses are their parking lots.”

For those with small lots, the Marikina government says they are eyeing to establish communal places where residents can park their vehicles.

Along with this new “No Car Garage, No Building Permit” ordinance, Marikina City also passed another ordinance mandating the removal of subdivision gates in the city. Councilor Favis, who also authored the new ordinance, says this was done to give motorists alternative routes within the city and ease traffic. It must be remembered that Marikina is one of the few cities in Metro Manila that opted not to implement the Number Coding scheme.

He says that this ordinance was already passed by the city council despite protests from some home owners’ associations.

Source: The Manila Bulletin