THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) started dismantling illegally constructed and unsafe billboards along national highways in Western Visayas.
The move is part of the agency's road safety program amid the coming rainy season, said DPWH Regional Director Rolando Asis.
Asis said a directive from Public Works Secretary Victor Domingo was issued recently to all regional directors telling them to dismantle illegal commercial billboards, tarpaulins streamers, posters, small advertisements, and election posters in highways that tend to clog drainage canals.
He said the department's Baklas billboard program is expected to prevent damages to property and loss of lives resulting from the toppling of giant billboards.
Aside from national roads and bridges, DPWH in Western Visayas also included in its watch billboards within national parks in various municipalities, including the national parks in Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental and in Dingle, Iloilo.
Asis said all district engineering offices in Negros and Panay Islands, as well as Guimaras, were directed to widen their scope in monitoring the construction of illegal and unsafe billboards. (LCP)