Billboard dismantling stopped

A Pasay City judge has issued an injunction against the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) stopping the agency from dismantling a billboard in Quezon City.

But MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino questioned the order, which included all 119 billboards owned by Ever Corp., saying their initial petition covers only two billboards the company put up in Quezon City.

“We will exhaust all legal means to ensure that billboards conform to well-accepted standards on size, distance and structural integrity, even as we strive to protect the environment,” Tolentino said

He added that he was contemplating whether to bring  administrative charges against Judge Divina Gacia Lopez Pelino after she expanded the injunction to all billboards operated by Ever Corp., through United Neon Sign and Services.

The injunction, dated Jan. 12, stemmed from an incident last year when the MMDA brought down the company’s billboard at UC Dapitan Hardware along Edsa in Quezon City.

MMDA legal counsel Rochelle Macapili-Ona said  the agency’s actions were based on an order by the Quezon City government’s building official to tear down the billboard after learning it did not have a building permit.