DPWH to create advisory body on billboard rules

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced yesterday it would create an advisory council in preparation for the proposed ban and new regulation on billboards.

DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the new board would be essential in formulating guidelines for the implementation of the National Building Code Circular that would benefit both the public and the advertising industry.

The council will be composed of representatives from the DPWH, Outdoor Advertisement Association of the Philippines (OAAP) and Advertising Board (AdBoard), building officials from local government units, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine National Police and other concerned sectors.

"These illegal billboards pose danger not only to motorists but also to residents living near the area. We must act on this issue to assure public safety," Ebdane said.

The DPWH chief said representatives of OAAP and the AdBoard met with officials of the National Building Code Development Office NBCDO earlier this week and expressed willingness to comply with government’s proposed regulations.

In an earlier statement, the OAAP said it sees as unnecessary the proposal of DPWH to ban structures, including pylons and billboards, within a 100-meter radius from the center of national roads and transmission lines.

But the organization clarified it would cooperate with new regulations the government would impose on advertising structures provided that the same new laws would "protect and encourage those that abide by it."

Representatives from the advertising industry also maintained most of the violators in the installation of billboards within the prescribed road right-of-way are not members of their organization.

Ebdane is set to sign a circular for the implementation of new regulatory rules on putting up billboards on major and national roads, which was proposed by the NBCDO following complaints from motorists.

Ebdane also said he would welcome the group’s recommendation on specific control mechanisms on billboards construction and regulation, which is being reviewed by the department’s legal office.

The circular, according to the DPWH chief, also involves the removal of all existing billboards within the identified boundary in six months.

DPWH-NCBDO director Emmanuel Cuntapay said they would next meet with building officials of local governments in Metro Manila.