MMDA clears EDSA-Santolan of billboard debris

Traffic flow was snarled along Edsa in Cubao, Quezon City from Monday afternoon until yesterday as clearing operations were done to remove debris and fallen materials from the billboards that collapsed amid heavy rains. “The traffic flow tightened because of the continuous removal of the debris from the fallen billboards,” said Superintendent Joselito Pajarillaga Jr., commander of the Quezon City Police District-Station 7.

Employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways used a crane to remove the gigantic structures that collapsed the other day. As of yesterday afternoon, almost the entire space of Saint Jude Bus Terminal at the corner of Edsa and Liberty Avenue in Barangay Bagong Lipunan ng Crame was still occupied by metals from a fallen billboard.

The terminal’s operations manager, Roderick Arganda, said operations at the said facility were completely shut down after the billboard of fastfood chain Jollibee on the southbound lane of Edsa collapsed at around 2:30 p.m. Monday. Arganda said the company runs three more bus terminals in Metro Manila – one near Ali Mall also in Cubao, another in Pasay City and a third one near FTI in Taguig City.

Arganda told The STAR that the amount of damage at the terminal could be placed at around P10 million, citing the destroyed metal rods that he said could no longer be used after the incident.  

Citing a previous communication between the terminal owner and billboard operator Universal Outdoor and Jollibee, Arganda said the two companies had agreed to shoulder the expenses for the repair of the structures destroyed by the collapsed billboard and the hospitalization of the injured victims. Arganda said they also no longer intend to file charges against the companies except only if the two fail to shoulder these expenses incurred due to the incident.

Pajarillaga earlier identified the injured victims as Maryjoy Orosco, 18, Diana Enopia, 21, Mercy Alano Tumasar, 21, Jerry Alano, 40, and Allan Madrilejos, 34. At the time of the collapse, only around 10 people were at the terminal, according to Arganda. He hinted that without the parked bus, the collapse of the billboard would have caused deaths.

Further, MMDA chief Bayani Fernando said, he believed that the MMDA is not to blame for the incident. – With Evelyn Macairan