MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – From underwear to nail polish, from wart removal to skin whitening, from the latest teleserye to the next movie box office hopeful, giant billboards as tall as the high-rise buildings and condos line both sides of Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares.

Whether they are an unnecessary distraction for motorists is debatable, given that road traffic is almost always at a stand still anyway. And this, perhaps, is the reason companies and advertisers cough up big bucks to claim their spot in billboard city.

We don’t need a scientific survey to determine which major city is considered the billboard capital of the world. Manila wins the title. Hands down!

Billboards are a sure way to get advertising messages across to their intended audiences in Manila, so much so that even God bought a giant billboard that greets commuters as they enter the city from the North Luzon expressway.

The billboard, painted in black, has this powerful message written in bold, white letters:

“We need to talk.

-God”