MANILA, September 20, 2013 – Gardens will soon be growing in Metro Manila as advertisers are expected to include greenery in their billboards starting next year.
According to the guidelines of the recently signed Metro Manila Outdoor Magna Carta, 30% of billboard space is to be set aside for landscape or vertical gardens. The document also orders that two mature, sustainable trees shall be planted and maintained in the billboard’s setback areas.
The magna carta was signed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and ad industry officials from the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies (4As), Media Specialists Association of the Philippines (MSAP), AdBoard, and Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines (OAAP).
Other guidelines in the document include:
- a size limit of 216 square meters on all outdoor signs and structures, including the space required for the gardens.
- a minimum height of 24 meters and maximum of 36 meters from the ground for ground signs and sign structures along EDSA, C-5, and Commonwealth Avenue
- a height limit in other areas to be determined by respective local government units
The document also mandates that outdoor media advertising collaterals should not obstruct traffic signs and landscapes.
The new guidelines and rules cover both existing and proposed billboards, displays, and signs of all kinds on all major thoroughfares, public roads, and open spaces in Metro Manila.
