MMDA files criminal complaints vs 10 billboard operators

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority filed 10 criminal complaints against building owners whose billboards violated the National Building Code. MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino filed the charges before the office of Makati City Assistant Prosecutor Alex Bagaoisan. "Some of the billboards had previously been set for demolition by the Makati City government. The MMDA had given the building owners fifteen days to rectify the violations, but they failed to do so," the MMDA said in a news release late Wednesday. Tolentino said the Building Code states that no person or entity shall erect, repair or alter a billboard without first obtaining a permit from the local building official. He said inspection teams from the MMDA, Department of Public Works and Highways, and local government units discovered that many of these billboards have no such permit. The criminal complaints resulted from the MMDA's "Operation Roll Down, Baby," an inter-agency effort launched last May. "We will sustain this campaign to ensure public safety and structural compliance," Tolentino said. — VS, GMA News