Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo will soon propose an ordinance that would require owners of giant billboards to insure their advertising materials before they would be installed in a particular area in the city.
Although Carillo learned that a similar measure is now pending in Congress, Carillo wanted that the City Council will pass a similar ordinance.
“Kinahanglang ipa-insured g’yod ang mga billboards kay aron nga kun makamugna kini og kadaut, dunay magukod nga mobayad sa kadaut,” he said.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago earlier urged the LGUs to impose multimillion-peso damage suits on the owners of any billboards that would cause death or injury to people, or damage to properties.
She even asked the Supreme Court to investigate the judges who issued restraining orders against mayors and other local officials who had tried to tear down the billboards in their localities.
But some legislators suggested that billboard owners should just post a bond with the local government to cover the expenses incurred once their billboards cause injuries or damage on properties.
Most of the giant billboards in the city are owned by members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines.
The legitimate outdoor advertisers have agreed that something should be done to prevent the towering billboards from falling into roads or houses.
It was observed that some outdoor advertisers do not follow the proper structural safety standards in putting up their billboards.
Billboards should be placed 10 meters away from any road as provided for under the National Building Code. — Rene U. Borromeo/LPM