Firm warns vs new player in MRT rail ad dispute

MANILA, Philippines – A private firm that claims to hold the exclusive advertising rights over the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) warned advertisers against dealing with unregistered firms claiming to have the authority to place advertisements on the EDSA-bound rail line.

Bing Kimpo, corporate communications head of out-of-home media company Trackworks, urged the advertising community to check the legitimacy of certain companies, especially a certain Media Puzzle, Inc., before considering contracts with the latter.

Kimpo said they found Media Puzzle was not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Kimpo stressed that Trackworks still holds exclusive advertising rights over the mass transit rail line as validated in separate rulings of the Supreme Court and the Pasig City regional trial court. Bautista denied the allegatons, saying they have been recently appointed by the MRT Development Corp. (MRT Devco) to manage the selling of ad placements at the EDSA-bound rail line.

Trackworks is locked in a contractual dispute with MRT Devco over the advertising rights, and the Pasig court has recently ordered the two entities to go into arbitration to resolve their dispute. – Rainier Allan Ronda