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Emmanuel Tupas - The Philippine Star
January 31, 2026 | 12:00am
In a memorandum circular, the DILG instructed provincial, city, municipal and barangay officials to ensure that no public official’s name, image, logo, initials, color scheme, slogan or other identifying symbol appears on project signages, markers, tarpaulins or similar materials financed by taxpayers.
MANILA, Philippines — Intensifying its anti-epal policy, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered yesterday all its offices and local government units to immediately remove the names, photos and likenesses of public officials from government-funded projects.
In a memorandum circular, the DILG instructed provincial, city, municipal and barangay officials to ensure that no public official’s name, image, logo, initials, color scheme, slogan or other identifying symbol appears on project signages, markers, tarpaulins or similar materials financed by taxpayers.
“All concerned officials and employees are directed to cause the immediate removal and correction of non-compliant materials. Heads of offices are accountable for full and prompt compliance, as well as for cascading the directive to all units under their supervision,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.
The directive forms part of the agency’s broader anti-epal policy, which extends not only to infrastructure projects but also to government programs, activities and properties.
Remulla stressed that government-funded initiatives are paid for by the public and should not be used for personal promotion, adding that government programs must reflect public service rather than political credit-grabbing.
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto was cited as an example of strict compliance, with no tarpaulins bearing his image displayed in the city, unlike many of his counterparts in Metro Manila.
The circular references the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, as well as Commission on Audit rules, which classify such personalized displays as unnecessary expenses.
The 2026 General Appropriations Act further reinforces the policy by explicitly prohibiting the attachment of officials’ names and images to government-funded projects.
