House bill seeks to regulate Edsa billboard jungle

by Elaine R. Alanguilan A BILL in the House of Representatives seeks to regulate the P5-billion outdoor advertising industry to phase out the so-called outdated laws and regulate the sector, its sponsor said Thursday. “[House Bill 3159] would set and clear the parameters and expectations for all industry players, including government regulatory bodies,” Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, a retired police general, said. “This is a legitimate multi-billion-peso industry with a positive contribution to the economy by employing thousands of workers and generating allied businesses.” Bataoil says it is necessary to amend the laws regulating the billboard industry “since most of it are scattered in our statute books.” Winthrop Hawthorne Bañez, legal counsel of the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines, says the industry is growing at 10 to 15 percent a year. It is now worth P5 billion to P6 billion and accounts for about 6 percent of the total advertising revenue. “A law that would regulate the industry would ensure stability and encourage more players to go into outdoor advertising,” Bañez said. He says a billboard ad can cost an advertiser as much as P1.2 million a month in prime locations such as the one fronting the San Carlos Seminary along Edsa in Guadalupe, Makati City. Bataoil says the outdated advertising laws include the Building Code of the Philippines of 1972, the National Building Code, the Philippine Electrical Code, the Code of Ethics for Advertising and Promotions, the Philippine Highway Act of 1953, and the National Structural Code of the Philippines of 1992. “The bedlam in the present set-up lies in the absence of an exacting law on billboards,” Bataoil said. “Every entity is imposing different rates of regulatory fees.” Bataoil says his bill, an “Act Prescribing Standards and Guidelines for the Outdoor Out-Of-Home Media Industry,” would merely regulate the structural soundness of outdoor ads, but their content would be vetted by the Advertising Board of the Philippines and the Advertising Standard Council.

Looking For Alternatives To MRT Billboards?

Looking For Alternatives To MRT Billboards?

It looks like it will be awhile before a verdict is given as to who will be the concessionaire for the coveted MRT outdoor advertising concession. Whether it will be Media Puzzle or Trackworks, only time will tell.

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Billboards: Are They Here to Stay? A Study of Billboards in EDSA, Philippines

Billboards: Are They Here to Stay? A Study of Billboards in EDSA, Philippines

Bernadette M. De los Reyes

Abstract

The landscape of Manila has cursorily changed in recent years and the streetscape is a visible text of these changes. One factor is the growing number of advertisements along major thoroughfares which have raised concerns of proliferation and the danger that comes with them. These outdoor advertisements or commonly called billboards are becoming an inherent part of our urban living and have evolved into a big industry that is difficult to disband. This initial stage of an on-going study looks at the aspect of this type of roadside visual pollution, its existing condition and situation in EDSA, Metro Manila. It will attempt to classify billboards and clarify the structure of the process and organization behind the business. Identification of deficiencies, problems, and possibilities in the existing laws, guidelines, and policies that govern its installation is also hoped to be done. The final stage of a future paper intends to formulate and advance a methodology of determining appropriateness of billboards.

‘Look for other ways to solve financial problem of MRT lines’

Saturday, 31 July 2010 18:07

INSTEAD of increasing the fares of the Metro and Light Railway Transits, the government should look for less burdensome ways to solve the financial hemorrhage of the train lines.

Thus said Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna even as he urged the government to retain the current MRT and LRT fares.

“Hundreds of thousands of people take the LRT and MRT trains daily precisely because they are cheap and efficient. People who have little time and less money take the train to work. The Aquino administration should look deeper into where the large government subsidy to the train system actually goes before adding another burden to the riding public,” Casiño said.

The finance department recently recommended that LRT fares be adjusted. Likewise, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) recommended an increase of at least P2 for LRT Line 2.

“The public must be apprised of the full details of how the government subsidy to the MRT and LRT is used the way President Aquino exposed the abusive perks given to executives of the MWSS [Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System],” said Casiño.

He said that as of August 2009, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) hold a combined 80 percent stake in Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) worth $750 billion.

The two banks, he said, have 10 seats in the 15-man board of directors of Metro Rail Transit. But on January 18, 2010, former President Gloria Arroyo issued Executive Order 855 mandating the National Development Co. (NDC) to acquire the MRTC from the two banks. The NDC will eventually privatize the MRTC shares.
“There is something really fishy here. Is the pot being sweetened for a juicy public-private partnership deal?” the legislator asked.

Casiño said that it would do well to look into excessive expenses like scandalous perks, expenses and bonuses, audit the loans incurred by the LRT and MRT and check for any mismanagement before even thinking of raising fares.

“President Aquino owes it to the people to explore every possible way to keep fares down. This is not just about being popular but about government’s duty to keep a very basic service—transportation—as cheap and accessible as possible,” he said.

On Friday, Aquino said he is still waiting for the final recommendation on the proposed MRT fare increase.

Aquino told Palace reporters that there was a proposal to level the fare of MRT to the fare of buses plying Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

He also admitted that there was also a proposal to reduce the government’s subsidy in MRT.

“Ang laki masyado ng subsidy sa train, wala naman tayong pampuno doon [A large amount is spent in subsidizing the trains but we have no budget for that],” the President said.

At present, the government subsidizes both the MRT and the LRT.

MRT removes "noncompliant" ad billboards

MRT removes ‘noncompliant’ ad billboards

By Paolo Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:52:00 08/08/2010

Filed Under: Advertising, Contracts

MANILA, Philippines—The operator of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) line along Edsa is dismantling and correcting several billboards, put up by its former advertising contractor Trackworks Rail Transit, Vending and Promotions Inc. (Trackworks), which do not comply with the country’s building code.

In a statement, MRT Development Corp. (MRT Devco) led by local businessman Robert Sobrepena, likewise said it had already cancelled its contract with Trackworks. The company said it would handle the train line’s advertising business itself.

The move is in compliance with a recent drive by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) against illegal advertising assets along highways.

The department found that several billboards installed along the MRT line on Edsa were in violation with the local building code. The violations, among others, were that the advertisements were either too big or blocked the flow of air through MRT ventilation ducts.

“We are now dismantling advertising assets that are not in compliance with the MRT’s standards,” MRT Devco said.

“We will cooperate with DPWH in addressing the alleged violation of Trackworks and also would like to assure the advertising public that MRT Devco will continue to provide advertising services to the public,” MRT Devco assistant vice-president Bob Laigo said.

MRT Devco said the DPWH originally wanted Trackworks to do the corrections. But government officials were surprised to find out that the company’s contract with the MRT operator had already been cancelled.

The MRT’s advertising business is now handled by Media Puzzle Inc., which acts as an advertising agent.

Laigo said the contract with Trackworks was not renewed in August last year after the company failed to pay a total of P367 million to the MRT operator, representing its share in advertising revenues.

This led to the cancellation of the contract, which Trackworks appealed twice with the Regional Trial Courts of Pasig and Makati. The advertising company lost both appeals.

Ad billboards of MRT Devco torn down

By Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star) Updated July 28, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Advertisement billboards of the MRT Development Corp. (MRT Devco) along the MRT 3 tracks in EDSA were among those dismantled by the Department of Public Works and Highways in their ongoing move to stem the proliferation of illegally installed advertisements in Metro Manila.

The move comes as the country braces for the typhoon season and the risk of strong winds knocking down billboards and becoming killer debris looms.

Out-of-home media company Trackworks, which claims exlusive advertising rights at the MRT 3, stressed that their billboard mounts and posts, were not dismantled by the DPWH.

It clarified that the billboards dismantled by the DPWH at the MRT were those installed by a company called Media Puzzle, which is backed by the Sobrepeña-chaired MRT Devco.

Bing Kimpo, Trackworks spokesperson, said that MRT general manager Rey Berroya has recently told DPWH personnel clearing the MRT 3 system of illegal advertisements that he has denied Trackworks permits to conduct their business at the MRT for several months now. This, in turn, gave Media Puzzle the opportunity to install their ads.

Trackworks explains that it has a clearance from the DPWH for its advertising structures on the MRT. It has also attempted to perform preventive maintenance and other work in compliance with DPWH directives, but has not been able to recently because its permit applications have continuously been denied by Berroya.

Trackworks, has filed criminal cases against both Media Puzzle and MRT Devco for usurpation of private property.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) issued a final demand for MRT Devco to settle P1 billion in unpaid Development Rights Payments due the national government. However, this P1 billion unpaid obligation has been denied by the MRT Devco.

Photos of MRT Banners Dismantling by DPWH

Dismantling of MRT Foxy Banner billboards in the middle lane. Dismantled by DPWH on July 23 to 27, 2011.

Naked Woman on Billboard Slows Down EDSA Traffic

Traffic movement on EDSA between Malibay and Magallanes apparently slowed down this past week after a billboard on EDSA showing a naked woman was displayed. Observers said the EDSA BILLBOARD of Ego Jeans generated high impact to slow down motorists.

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