MUNTINLUPA, Philippines – Nagpasa ang pamahalaang Lungsod ng Muntinlupa ng ordinansa na nagbabawal sa paglalagay ng mga pangalan at larawan ng mga lokal na opisyal sa mga imprastraktura, programa, at proyekto na pinondohan ng pamahalaan.
Ang Ordinansa Blg. 2025-004, na kilala rin bilang “Anti-Epal Ordinance ng Muntinlupa City,” ay magbabawal sa pagmarka o paglalagay ng mga pagkakakilanlan tulad ng mga pangalan, inisyal, alyas, insignias, logo, larawan ng nanunungkulan na mga opisyal ng gobyerno sa imprastraktura, programa, o proyektong pinondohan ng mga paglalaan ng pamahalaan.
Ito ay nilagdaan ni Mayor Ruffy Biazon matapos maipasa ang panukala ng Muntinlupa City Council.
Isang batayan ng ordinansa ang 2010 memorandum ng Department of the Interior and Local Government na nagbabawal sa mga pangalan, inisyal o larawan ng mga opisyal ng gobyerno sa mga billboard at signage ng mga programa at ari-arian ng gobyerno.
“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,” nakasaad sa ordinansa.
Dagdag nito, “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.”
Exempted sa ordinansa ay ang mga sumusunod:
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.
Ang paglabag sa ordinansa ay magreresulta sa multang P5,000 at pagkakakulong ng hanggang anim na buwan. RNT/MND
