DPWH to probe billboard owners

President Arroyo ordered yesterday Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane to head a special interagency task force that would determine responsibility for the deaths and destruction caused by crashing billboards at the height of typhoon "Milenyo."

The probe will cover manufacturers of the destructive billboards as well as public officials who issued permits to set up the billboards.

The probe body will determine the appropriate criminal, civil or administrative charges that may be filed against those named responsible for the billboard accidents.

The creation of the task force is embodied in an administrative order (AO) to be signed today by Mrs. Arroyo, according to Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz and Government Corporate Counsel Agnes Devanadera.

The task force is composed of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The special task force "shall evaluate the findings of the DPWH and shall proceed to investigate owners of billboards and public officials for the purpose of determining the filing of appropriate civil, criminal or administrative cases," a draft AO, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, said.

The task force, the draft AO said, will also work on the "recovery from the owners of these billboards of the cost and related expenses in the abatement subject to existing laws and with due regard to due process." The AO takes effect five days after its issuance, Devanadera said.

The presidential order tasked the DPWH to conduct field inspections and determine which billboards pose imminent danger to life and property or violate applicable laws and regulations.

The DPWH will then issue certifications on which billboards are found to be substandard based on the National Building Code and the Structural Code of the Philippines, copies of which will be furnished to concerned local government units.

Defective billboards or those set up without the necessary permits will be torn down.

Devanadera said under the law, Ebdane has technical supervision over all LGU engineers in the country.

Cruz said the DPWH was also tasked to review existing laws, rules and regulations on billboards and recommend to Congress appropriate legislation regarding the matter.

An initial funding of P10 million will be sourced from the DPWH to implement the order.

At Malacañang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye called on outdoor advertising industry players to be more responsible to help prevent billboard-related accidents.

"This problem (falling billboards) demands a sense of responsibility among billboard owners and advertisers for mapping out safety measures to protect the public, and the government will ensure these will be complied with," Bunye said.

But the advertising industry appealed for a more gentle treatment saying the tragedy should not erase the industry’s vast contribution to the economy.

Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP) chairman Carlo Llave said that at least 40,000 people directly depend on the industry. He said ordinary workers will suffer the most because they get paid on a daily basis.

He also said outdoor advertising earns P2 billion gross income per year, of which P1.2 million is spent for securing permits from local governments.

"There is another way of looking at this, billboards have been here for the past 10 years and have performed very well," he stressed.

"Kailangan lang ng better regulation sa mga billboards (What’s needed is better regulation for billboards)," Llave said.

In Manila, sixth district Councilor Ma. Lourdes "Bonjay" Isip-Garcia is pushing for a ban on billboards "until such time that the city has enacted an ordinance prescribing the guidelines for the installation and display of billboards and advertising signs."

Isip-Garcia drafted a two-page resolution, which she will present to the city council.

The councilor said most of these structures are situated along major streets and open spaces and are thus, "sources of distraction to motorists."

Earlier, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said he was against the total ban on billboards. He said stopping the construction of billboards is against the principle of free expression and is harmful to business.

"Advertising is necessary in boosting the economy, consumer behavior should be geared toward competitive free enterprise principle and advertising is a necessary component," Atienza said. — Paolo Romero, Helen Flores, Evelyn Macairan