The Muntinlupa City government has passed an ordinance that prohibits putting names and photos of local officials on government-funded infrastructures, programs, and projects. 

Ordinance No. 2025-004, also known as the "Anti-Epal Ordinance of Muntinlupa City," will prohibit the “marking or installation of identifiers such as names, initials, aliases, insignias, logos, images of incumbent government officials on infrastructure, programs, or projects funded by government appropriations.”

It was signed by Mayor Ruffy Biazon after the measure was passed by the Muntinlupa City Council. 

One basis of the ordinance is a 2010 memorandum of the Department of the Interior and Local Government that banned the names, initials or photos of government officials on billboards and signages of government programs and properties. 

“Elected and appointed government officials have engaged in the practice of displaying their names, logos, insignias, and even photographs on government-funded projects and programs facilitated by their office and administration during their term. In reality, such projects are fully funded by taxes collected from the Filipino people, making this act clearly contrary to the law,” the ordinance noted. 

Muntinlupa's Special Education (SPED) Center (Photo from Muntinlupa PIO)

It added, “the City Government of Muntinlupa firmly upholds the principle that all government programs and projects are funded by public money and must not be used as platforms for self-promotion or political propaganda by any public official, and asserts that such acts undermine the integrity of public service and mislead the people.” 

Under the ordinance, government officials refer to “any person, appointed or elected to government service at the city or barangay level, whose office is given the authority, privilege or right to identify, administer, implement, coordinate or propose a government program or projects.”

Government project, as used in the ordinance, refers “to all current and future government infrastructure, engineering works and service contracts, and other related and necessary activities such as site acquisition, supply and/or installation of equipment and materials, implementation, construction, completion, operation, maintenance, improvement, repair and rehabilitation, funded from local sources.”

Government program refers to “all current and future government projects providing the delivery of any basic or special services, falling under all programs of social outreach and services, anti-poverty measures, educational, infrastructure, livelihood, and all Other programs that utilize government funding and resources for the provision of giving any tangible or intangible support to the citizenry, and other related and necessary activities or all Muntinlupenos.”

Public works include “the construction, improvement, rehabilitation, repair, restoration, or maintenance of sidewalks, walkways, roads and bridges, irrigation, flood control and drainage, water supply, sanitation, sewerage and solid waste management systems, shore protection, school buildings, hospital buildings, public buildings, public parks, sports facilities, waiting sheds, and lamp posts, which are funded, wholly or partly, through public funds expended by the local government.”

Prohibited acts under the ordinance include “naming after or marking with the initials, alias, insignia, logo, or image of an incumbent elected local government official on government projects or programs funded by public funds; affixing, or causing to be affixed, the name, initials, alias, insignia, logo, or image of any incumbent local government official to a signage announcing a proposed, on-going, or existing public works project funded through government appropriations;” and “installing, or causing to be installed, signage/s announcing the maintenance, rehabilitation, and/or construction of public works crediting any incumbent local elected government official, or bearing his or her name, initials, alias, insignia, logo, or image for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of such public works funded by public funds.” 

Also prohibited are “attaching any stickers that contains the name, initials, alias, insignia, logo, or image to property owned or items given away by the city government and barangays that were bought using public funds including but not limited to vehicles, relief goods, supplies, equipment and the like; and putting the image or picture of local officials in business license plates and permits.”

Exempted from the ordinance are the following: 

a. Duly authorized campaign materials compliant with election laws and regulations during election period.

b. Government infrastructure or programs existing or implemented prior to the passage of this Ordinance not named after any incumbent local government officials.

c. Official government-issued IDs or nameplates required by civil service rules.

d. Informational signages that necessitates the identification of responsible or accountable officials.

e. Informational materials where names appear in the context of transparency (e.g., audit reports, project documents), provided they do not include images, logos, or promotional slogans.

f. Commemorative plaques installed upon the completion of infrastructure projects, provided that they include the following inscription: "This project was funded and paid for using taxpayers' money. "

g. Any appearance, presence, or visibility of an elected or appointed official in informational or educational materials when it is directly related to the performance of public duties and functions or the promotion of an advocacy, provided that, the resulting impact for the citizenry are intangible benefits, such as, values formation, higher literacy rates or improved mental health.

h. Guarantee Letters bearing only the name and signature of the issuing local government official.

Violation of the ordinance will result in a fine of P5,000 and imprisonment of up to six months. 

Any person apprehended for violation of the ordinance who does not want to contest it will be allowed to pay the fine to avoid being criminally prosecuted.