Outdoor advertisers urge MMDA to follow court ruling

MANILA, Philippines - Outdoor advertising firm Ever Corp. is urging the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to obey a court ruling preventing the agency from dismantling Ever’s billboards.

MMDA officials, according to reports, are considering filing an administrative complaint against Pasay City Judge Divina Gracia Lopez and that the MMDA will carry on with its campaign against billboards despite her order.

“We do not ask special favors of the MMDA – just that it follow the law,” said Ever general manager Freddie Arlantico.

He said Ever is complying with the Additional Rules and Regulations (ARR) covering Signs and Signboards introduced by the Department of Public Works and Highways in 2007 in the wake of typhoon “Milenyo.”

Arlantico said when the MMDA dismantled some of Ever’s billboards, the firm petitioned Lopez for protection for its more than 100 billboards.

Lopez, in issuing the injunction, found Ever to have the requisite permits stipulated in the ARR.

Outdoor Media Advocacy Group executive director Troy Bañez said all they want is to promote the survival of the outdoor advertising industry, in compliance with established laws.