Bong Revilla seeks inquiry over LED billboards endanger motorists

Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is seeking to conduct an inquiry into the proliferation of large-scale LED billboards on public roads which he said pose a danger to motorists, especially during night time.

Revilla on Wednesday filed Senate Resolution No. 924, stressing that LED billboards are causing distractions to people traversing the roads due to “glaring lights, as do motion billboards.”

He also wants to determine the structural integrity of these kinds of billboards saying it could be “very prone to accidents during calamities.”

“We need to secure the safety of our motorists by questioning the structural integrity of these large-scale LED billboards,” he said in Filipino.

Revilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Works, raised concerns over the distractive LED lights scattered on the public roads.

“These can’t only be considered a driving distraction and hazard, the structural stability of these billboards is alarming, especially during the onslaught of strong typhoons,” he said.

The senator said the most frightening about installing such billboards is when earthquakes occur.

“These nuisances may even exacerbate the situation and turn it into a disaster. That is exactly what we want to avoid,” he added.

Revilla recalled the issuance of Executive Order 165 on March 2022, prescribing regulations on out-of-home advertising signs and billboards, cognizant of the fact that “unregulated advertising signs and billboards pose traffic distractions and hazards and constitute threats to public safety.”

Citing the deadline of the EO is nearing this year, Revilla said there is a need to determine whether billboard owners and operators are compliant with the said regulations.

Revilla said he would soon initiate a public hearing of the Committee on Public Works to tackle the resolution's content.