QUEZON CITY Mayor Joy Belmonte has approved an ordinance that requires “all billboard and signage owners, operators, and advertisers to secure, roll down, remove, or dismantle tarpaulins and other signage materials whenever hazardous weather threatens the city.”
Called the Quezon City Billboard Weather Safety Ordinance, the measure passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council) seeks to prevent accidents caused by billboards and large-format tarpaulins that may collapse, detach, or be blown away during strong winds and heavy rains, putting lives, private property, and critical infrastructure at risk, Belmonte said.
She added that the ordinance applies to all billboard and signage owners, operators, lessors, lessees, advertisers, and other persons or entities responsible for billboards and signage installations, including those on government-owned properties within the city.
Once the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) or the city government issues a public weather advisory for tropical depressions, storms, typhoons, heavy rainfall, strong winds, or other hazardous weather conditions, all billboards and signage covered in the ordinance must immediately be secured, rolled down, removed, dismantled, or otherwise rendered safe against displacement, detachment, or collapse, according to the local government.
Billboard owners and operators must also closely monitor weather advisories from Pagasa, the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Public Affairs and Information Services Department to ensure timely compliance, according to the ordinance.
Violators face escalating penalties. A first offense carries a written warning and a fine of P3,000 per day; a second offense, a P4,000 daily fine and the suspension of the billboard or signage permit for 15 days. For the third and subsequent offenses, a P5,000 daily fine and the revocation of the billboard or signage permit.
Also, the ordinance provides for imprisonment at the court's discretion, depending on the gravity of the offense.
To further protect the public, the city government said it is also authorized to remove or dismantle billboards and signage that pose an imminent danger during emergencies or calamities.
All costs incurred shall be charged to the owner, operator, or lessor, without prejudice to the filing of appropriate charges and the imposition of applicable penalties, according to the local ordinance.
