Billboards installed near bridges in the city will soon be dismantled.
This after the Supreme Court, on April 17, ruled in favor of the city government against the Davao Billboard and Signmakers Association (DABASA) Inc. The court hearings lasted for 15 years.
City Building Official Cirinia Grace Catubig said they are still waiting for the official copy of the Supreme Court order before issuing any order to demolish the billboards.
“We need to know if the court has set guidelines for the demolition,” Catubig said.
One of the important issues that needed to be considered is the distance from the bridge. It could not yet be determined if the 200 meters, imposed by the City Council, was sustained.
Catubig said they are also determining the number of days given to the owner of the billboards for the demolition.
Based on Ordinance 092, Series of 2000, otherwise known as the Signage Ordinance, it prohibits the construction and erection of billboards within a 200-meter radius from the city’s bridges, such as Generoso Bridge, Bolton Bridge and Lasang Bridge, in order to preserve the natural view and beauty of Davao River, Mt. Apo, the Davao City Skyline and the view of Samal Island.
According to Catubig, her office has already identified the billboards to be dismantled.
Catubig said she will set a meeting with the billboards owner once she received the court order.
She urged the billboards owners to cooperate with the city government.
Meanwhile, Councilor Mabel Acosta, during the Pulong Pulong in Pulong yesterday, said that she is eyeing to amend the Signage Ordinance of the city because it’s already obsolete and the fees are cheap.
Based on the Signage Ordinance, the fee is P5 per square meter for poster.
For the structure, the fee is P100 for four square meters of signboard and P50 in every square meter or fraction of the billboard.
However, Catubig said they are implementing the National Building Code instead of the local ordinance because the National Building Code is more current compared to the city’s Signage Ordinance.
For the National Building Code, the fee for the tarp of the billboard is P38 while for the structure is P2,400.
