Breaking News
10 October 2006
GMA CERTIFIES URGENT ANTI-BILLBOARD BILL
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has certified as urgent Senate Bill No. 2482, “An Act Regulating the Placement of Billboard Signs” also known as “The Anti-Billboard Blight Act,” filed and sponsored by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.Santiago has already delivered the sponsorship speech for the bill, and has requested majority leader Sen. Francis Pangilinan to give it priority in the floor debates when the Senate resumes session on November 6.
“It was force majeure (an act of God) that toppled all those killer billboards. It was the finger of God pointing at crass materialism. It is time to put a stop to worship of the golden calf of corporate greed, and to return to basic community values,” Santiago said.
The senator praised President Arroyo “for her courageous leadership and responsive sensitivity to public outrage and public demand for safety and aesthetics in our highways.”
The Santiago bill places a strict ban on the following billboards, which are prohibited:
- Those that obstruct or obscure the view of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, in such a manner as to endanger their movement;
- Those that impair any scenic vista from the highway;
- Those located in residential zones;
- Those placed on any public property, telephone or utility poles, or natural features such as trees and rocks;
- Those erected above the roof of any buildings;
- Those that obstruct the windows or doorways of adjacent buildings.
In addition to the ban on certain billboards, the Santiago bill requires 1,000 feet distance of any billboard from any interchange, right-of-way, street intersection, or any of the following: historical site, school, church, hospital, retirement or nursing home, cemetery, governmental building, public parks, playground, recreation areas, and convention centers.
The Santiago bill limits the size of any billboard to 300 sq. ft., and limits the height to 50 ft., measured from ground level to the highest point of the billboard.
Further, the Santiago bill raises the annual fee for a billboard permit for a new construction to P7,500.
The bill orders the DPWH, in coordination with the MMDA, to use the permit fees to conduct a thorough countrywide inventory of all billboards, including plotting the exact location of each sign, and determining whether or not each sign has a valid permit from the DPWH, MMDA, or any local government agency.
The bill allows the Department of Tourism to construct official business directional signs, but requires DOT to consult with scenic conservation groups, so that the billboards will not have a deleterious impact on the traveling public.
The bill will become effective 15 days after publication. -o0o-