Seven presidential candidates sought on Saturday the regulation of oversized billboards along major thoroughfares even during the campaign period for the safety of motorists.

Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran, Sen. Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan, spiritual leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, Sen. Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party, indepenedent candidate Sen. Jamby Madrigal, and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas articulated their views regarding the proliferation of billboards in the 2010 Green Electoral Initiative (GEI) survey led by EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace.

Meanwhile, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and former President Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino did not respond to the survey.

Villanueva and Gordon, who had been directed earlier by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to dismantle their oversized campaign billboards, underscored public safety and invasion of public places in enforcing the regulation of huge billboards along major thoroughfares.

“Cleaning up our cities requires the management of our public spaces. Buildings and scaffolds may be owned privately, but unsightly billboards impact upon the public space by imposing a view on others,” Gordon said.

Villanueva said most candidates see the need to impose regulations and standards with respect to the size, location and engineering requirements of billboards “that would not require the cutting down of trees and/or compromise natural scenic views that detach citizens from environmental appreciation and care.”

Like Gordon, Madrigal urged the retrieval of public space overrun by huge billboards installed everywhere in the metropolis.

Aquino considers out-of-place and out-of-size billboards not only as “eyesores” but also as “distraction to drivers, making them a road safety hazard.”