Manila, Aug. 4 -- The Quezon City government now requires billboard owners, operators and advertisers to secure, roll down, remove, or dismantle billboards and signage before severe weather strikes under a newly enacted ordinance aimed at preventing storm-related accidents.

In a news release Tuesday, the city government said Ordinance No. SP-3515, S-2026, or the Quezon City Billboard Weather Safety Ordinance, "seeks to prevent accidents caused by billboards and large-format tarpaulins that may collapse, detach, or be blown away during strong winds and heavy rains, putting lives, private property, and critical infrastructure at risk."

"Once the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) or the ...