Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Nearly all metro billboards to be torn down, reduced in size
* Arroyo endorses anti-billboard bill
PUBLIC Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said at least 90 percent of the of the billboards put up along Metro Manila thoroughfares have to be dismantled or at least made smaller to improve public safety.
Ebdane said there are at least 2,161 billboards erected in along major roads in Metro Manila and of the number, only 435 had already been inspected and evaluated by the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH).
He said about 18 of the inspected billboards are now being dismantled.
This, as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has certified as urgent a Senate bill regulating the billboard industry.
Ebdane assured that the billboard clearing operations would be relentlessly pursued nationwide and without letup, belying reports that his agency gave in to requests of some billboard owners and operators to temporarily halt the dismantling of illegal billboards.
Arroyo issued Administrative Order (AO) 160 last October 4 directing the DPWH to abate and dismantle billboards, particularly those that pose "imminent danger to life, health, safety and property of the general public."
The issuance was made following the collapse of several billboards which resulted in the death and injury of several persons and damage to property during the onslaught of typhoon Milenyo last week.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando earlier said at least 99 percent of the billboards that fell around Metro Manila at the height of typhoon were structurally deficient.
Meanwhile, Arroyo has endorsed Senate Bill (SB) 1714 or The Anti-Billboard Blight Act filed and sponsored by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Santiago earlier delivered the sponsorship speech for the bill, and has requested Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan to give it priority in the floor debates when the Senate resumes session on November 6.
"It was force majeure (an act of God) that toppled all those killer billboards. It was the finger of God pointing at crass materialism. It is time to put a top to worship of the golden calf of corporate greed and to return to basic community values," Santiago said.
Santiago lauded Arroyo for responding immediately on what she described as a sensitive issue as she stressed the need for the government to prioritize the need of the public.
The Santiago bill places a strict ban on the following billboards:
* Those that obstruct or obscure the view of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, in such a manner as to endanger their movement.
* Those that impair any scenic vista from the Highway
* Those located in residential zone
* Those placed on any public property, telephone or utility poles, or natural features such as trees and rocks
* Those erected above the roof of any buildings
* Those that obstruct the windows or doorways of adjacent buildings
In addition to the ban on certain billboards, the Santiago bill requires 1,000 feet distance of any billboard from any interchange, right-of-way, street intersection, or any of the following: historical site, school church, hospital, retirement or nursing home, cemetery, governmental building, public parks, playground, recreation areas and convention centers.
The bill limits the size of any billboard to 300 square feet and limits the heights to 50 feet measured from ground level to the highest point of the billboard.
The proposal raises the annual fee for a billboard permit for a new construction to P7,500.
The bill mandates the DPWH, in coordination with the MMDA, to use the permit fees to conduct a thorough countrywide inventory of all billboards, including plotting the exact location of each sign, and determining whether or not each sign has a valid permit from the DPWH, MMDA, or any local government agency.
The bill allows the Department of Tourism (DOT) to construct official business directional signs but requires DOT to consult with scenic conservation groups so that the billboards will not have a deleterious impact on the traveling public.
The bill will become effective 15 days after publication. (JMR/CPB/Sunnex)
(October 11, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
