Some 6,000 illegal billboards, posters, and advertisements, mostly election-related materials, have been ripped off as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) launched Wednesday its drive against illegal signage in the metropolis.

Saying they pose hazards to the environment and the public, the agency’s Roadway/Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (RSCOG) said materials removed were mostly campaign posters and advertisements, which were considered visual clutters.

“Besides spoiling the visual landscape of Metro Manila, these posters put the public at risk, as most of them are placed on inappropriate areas, " said MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes, who directed the order.

More than 200 personnel from RSCOG have been dispatched all over Metro Manila to enforce Inocentes’ directive to clear the metropolis of these illegal signage.

The MMDA chairman also created a monitoring unit to make rounds in Metro Manila to check public installations such as electric posts, power cables, traffic signs, and sidewalk railings that have been covered with posters and advertisements.

He also noted that the posting of advertisement materials on trees also poses a hazard to the environment in general.

“Our foremost priority is the health and safety of the public. The people who put those posters apparently don’t know that they are instigating grave damage to the environment,” Inocentes said.

RSCOG workers have cleared Araneta Avenue, Ramon Magsaysay, Qurino Highway, Juan Luna, and Osmeña Highway.

Manuel Sayson, agency horticulturist, explained that the nails used in tacking the posters damage the skin of the trees and serves as an additional entry point for pests, insects, and other fungi, which cause diseases.

According to Sayson, pinning pointed objects on trees disrupts the typical flow and distribution of food, thereby affecting its normal growth.

These factors lead to the reduction of carbon sequestration or a lesser capability of trees to filter air pollutants.