Makati City to hold public hearing on billboard master plan

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government will hold a public hearing on Monday next week to determine whether or not to flie the ban on billboards as part of the city's masterplan.

The hearings on the "Billboard and Signage Master Plan 2013-2023" will involve the public and stakeholders in the billboard and outdoor advertising industry. It will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Session Hall located at the 22nd floor of the New Makati City Hall Building.

On Dec. 2, 2004, the Makati City Council passed City Ordinance No. 2004-A-028 which imposed a moratorium on the construction and installation of billboards in the city, and set corresponding penalties for violations of its provisions.

Recognizing the need to regulate the billboards and signage industry, the city government drafted the Makati City Billboard and Signage Master Plan 2013-2023 after several consultations with various sectors. The draft Master Plan will be presented during the public hearings.

The Billboard Master Plan takes into consideration the balance between the benefits that billboards can provide to the billboard industry players, advertisers and business groups, on the one hand, and damages to properties and loss of lives caused by poorly constructed billboard structures or obstructive signage along roads and sidewalks.

“The city government is committed to the continuous implementation of projects that clear obstructions and structures both on water and land that would multiply the impact of disasters and other hazards. These include illegal billboard structures that had not passed safety standards and guidelines,” Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said.

Binay said the ordinance prohibits the construction of new billboards in Makati until the Billboard Masterplan has been drawn up and approved. The ordinance imposes a penalty of P5,000 for each day of violation.

Under the Billboard Master Plan, it is proposed that billboards and signages should not impede building ventilation, should be far from electric posts and wires, should be included in the structural design of the building if mounted atop so that the weight can be considered in the plan, and should not block traffic signs and view of motorists.

The Makati City Zoning Board of Adjustment Appeals and the Urban Development Department had pushed for the moratorium, citing that a Billboard Masterplan is necessary to "address the problem of billboards put up in supposedly restricted areas in the interest of public policy, public safety, public order and general safety."