MANILA — Makati City Mayor Abby Binay has ordered the immediate shutdown of the electronic billboard that showed pornograhic material on Tuesday night.
The head of the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Office, lawyer Maribert Pagente, said in a statement issued Wednesday that the billboard’s operator, Globaltronics, Inc., “immediately complied with the order”.
According to Pagente, the billboard will be shut down pending the result of an investigation into the incident and the liabilities of the company, Globaltronics and its personnel.
“The mayor also ordered an immediate investigation of the incident to determine the cause and liabilities of those concerned. Pending such investigation, the billboard shall remain closed,” Pagente said.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Globaltronics confirmed that they have complied with the directive of the Makati City government.
“We at Globaltronics have already complied with the Makati City government’s directive for us to temporarily shut down the EBC (Executive Building Center) site for investigation,” Globaltronics chief executive officer Joseph Evangelista said in the statement.
Evangelista also noted that the company is “fully cooperating” with the city government in uncovering the truth behind the incident, which he described as a “malicious attack, not only on Globaltronics but possibly on all similar digital media platforms”.
“In parallel, we have already filed a police report in the City of Makati, and will be filing a similar report as of this writing to the PNP (Philippine National Police) Cybercrime division to seek their help (in) bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he added.
Evangelista described the explicit video showing as a “momentary issue,” adding that the company “sees this case as an opportunity to commit itself and be at the forefront of the drive against cybercrime.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the video of the lewd material played on the billboard, located in Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. corner Makati Ave., went viral on social media. (PNA)
