Thursday, October 12, 2006 Mayor backs proposal to dismantle billboards By Maricar Aranas
MAYOR Agustin Perdices backs any proposal to lift the issuance of permits to erect giant billboards in Dumaguete City.
Perdices's stand followed a proposal by senators to dismantle giant billboards in Metro Manila following the havoc wrought by Typhoon Milenyo the previous week that toppled giant billboards in the capital endangering lives and properties.
Personally, he said, he favored completely removing all giant billboards in the city.
But since the law allows billboards, advertisers must comply with rules and regulations to limit their presence.
Perdices said that aside from posing hazards to lives and properties, billboards particularly those with images of sexy models disturb motorists and could possibly cause accidents.
He said he was to meet the City Council to ask them to pass a resolution regulating the posting of giant billboards in the city.
District Engineer Rodrigo Catapusan of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the province said he would not hesitate to inspect all billboards in the province if he received an order from the national office.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had ordered DPWH to dismantle hazardous billboards following typhoon Milenyo.
Arroyo also instructed DPWH to coordinate with local government units to identify safe places for posting billboards.
"Once we have the order, we will inspect the local billboards and see if they are hazardous and if they are, we will then dismantle them," Catapusan said.
Milenyo toppled around 40 giant billboards in Luzon killing one person, damaging properties, and causing a massive power outage and traffic jams along major highways.
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