DPWH district: dismantling of billboards not easy
LINGAYEN – If only the officials of the Department of Public Works in Metro Manila had long followed the example of the Second Pangasinan Engineering District here, there would have been no humongous and illegally constructed billboards that could cause damage to lives and properties in Metro Manila as it did at the height of Typhoon Milenyo.
District Engineer Rodolfo Dion, head of the district office here, said that he has long earned the ire of several businessmen when he started dismantling billboards that posed imminent danger to the public two years ago.
Dion lauded the President for issuing AO No. 160 for this will give his office more teeth in dismantling the dangerously positioned billboards.
In dismantling the billboards, he invoked the DPWH Order No. 52 series of 2003 signed by then Secretary Bayani Fernando as basis for the removal of obstruction and prohibited uses within the right of way of national roads.
He also cited Presidential Decree 17 Section 23 (Revised Philippine Highway Act) which made it unlawful for “any person to usurp any portion of right of way to convert any part of any public highway, bridges, wharfs or trail to his own private use or to obstruct the same in any manner”.
And if that was not enough to make businessmen back down, he also invoked a provision from the National Building Code of the Philippines (PD 1096) that supports it.
“I’ve earned so many enemies because of this (removal of billboards),” Dion said.
He said most of the billboards he had caused to be removed were located in the central business district of Dagupan City. Recently, his office sent notices to some billboard companies with structures in Mangaldan town. He has already threatened legal action against them. – EVA
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments