CBO crafting amendments on city's signage measure

THE City Building Office (CBO) of Davao is now in the process of creating proposed amendments on the obsolete Signage Ordinance of the city, which was approved back in 2000, a city official said yesterday.

In an interview, CBO chief Jaime Adalin said the proposed amendments, considered as urgent, will clearly set the rules and regulations on the installation of LED billboards and billboards in the city.

"The ordinance should have long been amended, as there are no rules and regulations that are prescribed by the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways)," Adalin said.

He added that no such regulations are enforced to limit by distance such forms of advertisements in the city with the old City Ordinance No. 092 or the Signage Ordinance, "an ordinance regulating the construction, repair, renovation, erection, installment, and maintenance of outdoor advertising materials."

In the proposed amendments, Adalin said at least 100 meters "per one plain one direction" will only be allowed, meaning the spacing of billboards should be at least 100 meters apart from one another.

Adalin said he received a memorandum from DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson that the 100-meter distance apart from one billboard to another shall be included in the proposed amendments.

Such provision is based on the 2007 Additional Rules and Regulations on signs or signboard structures of the National Building Code of 1972.

CBO is pushing to amend the ordinance, following complaints from the motorists that giant billboards obstruct their view to the traffic lights and the glare of LED billboards may result in accidents.

"Also, include the magkaroon ng restrictions, especially along national highway and the traffic lights," he said.

The proposed amendments also include limiting the size of the billboards by 32 square meters at the most, which is patterned after that of the Quezon City's Signage Ordinance.

The proposed amendments in the ordinance are expected to be completed in one or two months from now, according to Adalin.

After this, a consultation among the billboard operators in the city will then be staged to be spearheaded by the CBO. This will be presented before Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Adalin said when the ordinance finally takes effect, they will not dismantle right away existing billboards not following the 100-meter apart provision, although operators will be given one to three years to finish any contract.