Friday, October 06, 2006 Firms to help spot illegal billboards
ORGANIZED outdoor advertisers will help with the inventory of the number of billboards in Mandaue and Cebu Cities and identify those that are illegally constructed.
Mary Anne Solomon of Alcordo Advertising said that even before the Cebu City Council passed last Wednesday the resolution requesting for a dialogue, they already met with building officials of the two cities.
Solomon is president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP)-Cebu Chapter.
Not allowed
Concerns on the risk billboards pose on lives and properties were raised after typhoon Milenyo toppled several billboards in Manila, affecting people and destroying properties.
But “giant” and “monster” billboards that are common in Manila are not allowed in Cebu, said Solomon.
She said Cebu City, in particular, has been active in ensuring that billboards are sturdy.
She hopes the National Government will not generalize and include Cebu in crafting guidelines for billboards as the industry here is already a highly-regulated one.
“We do not want to pay for the sins of those in Manila. We are doing all we can here to ensure safety. We do things within our bounds. That is why we ask the public not to persecute us,” she said.
Solomon said they fully support Executive Order 160, which aims to regulate outdoor advertising after Milenyo.
Checking billboards
The order, she said, will help weed out advertisers who construct billboards without complying with guidelines set by Cebu and Mandaue and by the National Building Code.
There are 11 OAAP members in Cebu.
When asked if she knows how many non-member advertisers don’t follow rules, she said a simple stroll in the downtown area would be enough to demonstrate how numerous they are.
Their group will be active in supporting the building officials of both Mandaue City and Cebu City in checking billboards.
Under the Code, billboards should have permits, should not block the road-right-of way (RROW), should be structurally sound, and should not be “projecting” over RROWs.
She said OAAP religiously obeys this. As a proactive measure, it regularly coordinates with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geo-physical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) station in Lapulapu City for weather updates.
“As precautionary procedure, dili lang kung bagyo, we also check with Pagasa for wind gustiness,” Alcordo said.
When winds are strong and could possibly rip tarpaulin advertisements, members send personnel to roll them up.
Membership
For Alcordo Advertising, she said they send letters to clients informing them of the move.
Solomon admitted there are advertisers who called and requested for membership after President Arroyo issued Executive Order 160 the other day.
The order authorized the Department of Public Works and Highways to destroy dangerous billboards.
Solomon, however, said OAAP has suspended accepting applications while it is still coordinating with local governments and DPWH in inspecting existing billboards.
“Alangan magtago sila sa among palda? Nganong karon pa man sila?” she asked. (RHM)
