Billboard firms’owners face charges

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday filed criminal complaints against owners of buildings  and outdoor advertising firms who have put up  billboards  without getting any permit, in violation of provisions of the National Building Code.

Among those who were charged Friday in the Office of Makati City Assistant Prosecutor Alex Bagaoisan were United Neon, Q Creatives, Optimum Ads and Mac Graphics Caranz.

“We will sustain this campaign to ensure public safety and structural compliance. The filing of the complaints against billboard operators and building owners only show that we are serious in our campaign,” said MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.

“We don’t want to destroy the industry.  We just want to regulate the display of billboards for public safety. We want to make our roads safer for motorists and at the same time, rid our major thoroughfares of aerial clutter and visual pollution,” Tolentino added.

If found guilty, building owners and outdoor advertisers face a P20,000 fine or two years in jail, or both, according to MMDA legal counsel Rochelle Macapili.

Tolentino said some of the billboards  had already been scheduled for demolition by the Makati City government.

“The building owners were given 15 days to rectify the violations, but they failed to do so,” he said.

The filing of the criminal complaints resulted from  MMDA’s “Operation Roll Down, Baby,” a crackdown on gigantic billboards displayed along the 23-kilometer long Edsa, which the agency, along with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units, launched last month.

The MMDA led an  inspection of the roughly 2,000 billboards on the major thoroughfare to determine whether the outdoor signs complied with the National Building Code.

“The Building Code states that no person or entity shall erect, repair or alter a billboard without first obtaining a permit from the local building official,” he said.

“Our inspection teams composed of representatives from the DPWH, MMDA and local government units discovered that many of these billboards have no such permit, and have violated locational and other safety requirements under the code,” Tolentino added.