Ordinance regulating outdoor advertising pushed
BACOLOD CITY -- Sangguniang Panglungsod of Bacolod passed on first reading an ordinance authorizing the city government to lease for those interested business establishment, companies, advertising agencies, organization, individuals and any other entities in placing posters, sign, advertisement and other similar notices on electric post owned by the city in its proprietary capacity.
City Councilor Catalino Alisbo, main author of ordinance, said that Section 5, Article X of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that "each Local Government Unit shall have the power to create its own services of revenues and to levy taxes, fees and charges subject to such guideline and limitation as the congress may provide consistent with the basic policy of local autonomy, such taxes, fees and charges shall accrue exclusively to the Local Government and therefore consistent to the policy of the state."
Alisbo further stressed that all commercial advertisement agencies, organization and other entities who wish to place their advertisement on the electric or lamp post shall get a permit for advertising signs to the City Treasurer's Office according to the City Revenue Code.
As stated on his proposed ordinance, all advertising signs placed on electric post without a permit from the City shall be considered illegal and the violator shall be fined in the amount of P1,000 per post occupied with the option to ban the advertiser. He said that the revenues or 40 percent of the corresponding fees shall be allocated to the Clean and Green or Beautification projects while the remaining 60 percent will go to the general fund of the City.
Alisbo said that he will be calling for a public hearing to be attended by all advertising agencies, companies, organizations including individual affected by this proposed ordinance. He explained that advertisement posters that will be placed on the electric or lamp post must conform to the code of ethics for advertising promulgated by the Advertising Board of the Philippines, Inc. (ADBOARD) and Outdoor AdvertisingAssociation of the Philippines (OAAP).