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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Palace: Marcos wants 'anti-epal' guidelines to be released soon

Palace: Marcos wants 'anti-epal' guidelines to be released soon

Published Jan 13, 2026 05:14 pm
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (RTVM)
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro (RTVM)
President Marcos has called for faster release of “anti-epal” guidelines to ensure that government-funded projects are not used for any personal or political branding, Malacañang said.
“Sa ngayon, makikita natin kung ano ang nais ng Pangulo. Ipinalagay po, nakalagay mismo sa 2026 GAA na patungkol sa anti-epal, paunti-unti na gusto ng Pangulo maresolba ang isyu na ito (For now, we see what the President wants. The anti-epal provision was put and stated in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that the President wants to gradually resolve this issue),” Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
“So, kung iyan ang nakikita ng mga department heads na dapat ay mas mabilis, tingnan natin kung kailan nila magagawa ang kanilang mga guidelines... pero ang nais po ng Pangulo, ay mas mabilis na panahon maayos po ito (So, if the department heads think that it needs to be faster, let us see when they can implement their guidelines… but what the President wants is for this to be fixed as quickly as possible.,” Castro added.
This, as Castro reiterated Marcos’ commitment to transparent public service by banning politicians' involvement in financial aid distributions to guarantee that assistance reached beneficiaries without political patronage.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said public officials must not put their names, pictures, or logos in government-funded projects and instead shall only put the project title, date of contract award, start and completion dates, and the source of funds.
Remulla said administrative cases such as suspension may be filed against those found to violate the said rule.
“Kung recidivist ang attitude ng local chief executive ay puwede namin ipasa sa Ombudsman ito for admin and criminal cases (If the local chief executive has a recidivist attitude, we can refer this to the Ombudsman for administrative and criminal cases)” he warned.
Remulla also called on the public to actively report politicians violating the current “anti-epal” rules.
Although removal from office is not yet an option, Remulla believes that suspension is already a grave punishment.
The DILG official also expressed support for legislation that would institutionalize the “anti-epal” rules to curb self-promotion by politicians using public funds.

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