DPWH workers dismantle 7 big billboards

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) resumed last Tuesday its campaign against illegal billboard structures and dismantled seven billboards on three busy roads in the metropolis.

DPWH officials led the re-implementation of Oplan Baklas Billboard following last week’s consultation with outdoor advertising firms and after nearly four months of inactivity due to the May polls and several legal issues.

They dismantled three billboards in the Central Textile compound along A. Bonifacio Avenue in Quezon City , three roof-mounted signs at Quintin Street in Binondo, Manila, and another on the west service road of the North Diversion Road in Quezon City .  

Most of these billboards – owned by United Neon Advertising, RNC Advertising, Unison Advertising and Big Board Advertising – displayed advertisements for a popular fastfood restaurant and a clothing line.

DPWH Assistant Secretary Rafael Yabut said all seven were dismantled after they were found to be either structurally unsafe or in violation of provisions in the National Building Code. The operations were conducted upon order of city engineers in the areas and after necessary notices to owners were issued.

“This time we will pursue this project without hesitation. The stakeholders have to understand that public safety is one of government’s primary concerns that cannot be sacrificed,” Yabut told reporters who covered the billboard dismantling operations.

When DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. reassumed his post last month, he ordered the resumption of Oplan Baklas Billboard and even directed the expansion of its coverage to signage and structures in waterways and canals. – Edu Punay