Anti-Epal Bill, Senate Bill No.1967 formally titled as “An Act Prohibiting Public Officers From Claiming Credit Through Signage Announcing A Public Works Project” was created by none other than Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. This Bill aims at politicians or any government officials who claim credits from projects funded by tax payers, which has become almost a tradition for some. Senator Defensor said that politicians who are praising themselves instead of the government on public works project supports the almost traditional political patronage and corruption, and weakens the concept of maintaining good governance.
Sen. Santiago’s Anti-Epal Bill is currently undergoing a committee deliberation, where senators decided to expand the content of the Bill to include politicians and public officials who displays their names and faces on donated police cars, ambulances and even fire trucks. Politicians or any government officials who displays his or her name and/or face on any proposed or on going government projects means their guilty and may serve jail time from six months to one year and would permanently be banned from public office. On the other hand, the Bill only allows signs and billboards containing names, images or logos of the local or national government agency managing the project.
As soon as the Anti-Epal Bill is approved and becomes an official Law, the department of Public Works and Highways(DPWH) in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority(MMDA) will be assigned to remove all existing signage’s that violates the terms and conditions of the Bill for three months. Local government all over the country would also be required to follow the law as instructed.
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