{"id":18551,"date":"2026-02-01T00:07:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=18551"},"modified":"2026-02-01T00:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:07:58","slug":"lacson-backs-removal-of-epal-billboards-from-public-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2026\/02\/01\/lacson-backs-removal-of-epal-billboards-from-public-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"LACSON BACKS REMOVAL OF \u2018EPAL\u2019 BILLBOARDS\u2019 FROM PUBLIC PROJECTS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo &#8220;Ping&#8221; M. Lacson has thrown his unequivocal support behind the Department of \u00a0the Interior and Local Government (DILG)&#8217;s move to remove the names and images of public officials from public projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lacson pointed out that &#8220;epal&#8221; billboards featuring the names and faces of politicians have no place in public service and may even hint at overpricing &#8211; not just for the projects themselves but also for the billboards promoting them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;This one I like and support unequivocally. While surely, there are no ghost billboards, most likely the \u2018epal\u2019 billboards are as overpriced as the projects,&#8221;Lacson said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a memorandum circular 2026-006 dated Jan. 29, the DILG prohibited the display and\/or affixture of the &#8220;name, image and likeness&#8221; of public officials on government projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The order prohibits the display of the name, picture, image, motto, logo, color motif, initials &#8220;or other symbol or graphic representation associated with any public official&#8221; on government projects and signboards.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>A<\/strong><strong>lso, it directed the immediate removal of existing signages, tarpaulins, markers or materials violating the circular.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Government programs are not personal billboards. These are funded by taxpayers and must reflect public service, not political credit grabbing,&#8221; it added.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lacson has likewise cracked down on political &#8220;epal&#8221; by pushing for clear and foolproof safeguards in what is now the 2026 budget, to prevent abuse and political patronage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;The national budget must not be a political tool or spoils for those in power. We deserve a budget that truly serves the people, free from political exploitation. While we have made headway, the path forward remains extensive,&#8221; he stressed.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo &ldquo;Ping&rdquo; M. Lacson has thrown his unequivocal support behind the Department of &nbsp;the Interior and Local Government (DILG)&rsquo;s move to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18551"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18551"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18553,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18551\/revisions\/18553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}