MetroBriefs

New judge to handle billboard case

The case filed by an outdoor advertisers group against the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has been reraffled to a new judge. The question over the legality of the MMDA’s crackdown on billboards displayed on major thoroughfares in the metropolis will now be heard by Makati Regional Trial Court presiding Judge Rommel Baybay of Branch 132 after Judge Elpidio Calis inhibited himself from the case last month. The complainant, Outdoor Advertisers Association of the Philippines (OAAP), earlier sued the MMDA for taking down billboards. It was able to secure a temporary restraining order from Calis. In an interview with reporters, OAAP president Ed Acosta said he hoped the new judge would see their arguments as enough ground to rule against the crackdown on billboards, which he feared could spell doom for the outdoor advertising industry. The crackdown was launched by the MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure the safety of people on the roads. At the height of the fury of Typhoon Pedring, several billboards fell on roads, hitting vehicles and injuring several motorists.—Miko Morelos

Newborn screening offered in Taguig

Some 400 infants are expected to benefit from a newborn screening program being offered by the Taguig City government. In a statement, Mayor Ma. Laarni Cayetano encouraged mothers to have their newborn babies checked at health centers so that they could be checked for diseases and be treated right away. “Newborn screening is very important in determining whether or not a newborn baby has congenital metabolic disorder, a condition that could lead to mental retardation or even death,” she said.—Miko Morelos