Advertisers’ group seeks to mend fences with MMDA

The outdoor advertisers’ group whose case against the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was recently dismissed has asked the government agency to exercise flexibility regarding its policy that regulates the size of billboards.

In a letter, the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP) asked MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino to reconsider his policy that limits the size of advertisements from 80 square meters to 100 sqm.

“We firmly believe that the billboard size of 80 to 100 sqm is too small for the advertisers to consider,” OAAP Chairman Jose Vale said, addressing Tolentino. “It is possible that they will shift to other forms of media and because of this, most outdoor companies will close shop.”

Vale suggested that the size be expanded to 225 sqm because “anything below may render the medium ineffective as a means of communication.”

Last year, the MMDA launched a campaign against oversized billboards. It was opposed by the OAAP, which later secured a temporary restraining order against the MMDA. A court, however, threw out the OAAP’s case against the agency after the judge ruled the group had no right to represent billboard advertisers.