GMA TO CERTIFY BILLBOARD BAN BILL

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will certify as urgent the Anti-Billboard Blight Act, providing for a selective billboard ban, according to Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Santiago told Senate media that she talked to President Arroyo yesterday morning, and that the President is very concerned about the protection of people and property from potential falling giant billboards during the next projected typhoons.

President Arroyo does not want a repeat of the deaths and damage caused by typhoon Milenyo. Hence, she has issued her administrative order and is even considering a supplemental administrative order to bolster the legal basis for the action against billboards, Santiago said.

The senator said that the Senate will likely reject the request for a public hearing by the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines, because her sub-committee on billboards has already conducted public hearings on the matter.

I authorized the public sector to help government agencies in improving my original bill that I copied from American law. But after the last typhoon, I decided to reject the proposed new bill, because it is a very watered-down version and it will not serve the purpose, she said.