MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has called for the faster release of “anti-epal” guidelines to ensure that government-funded projects are not used for personal or political branding, a Malacañang official said on Tuesday.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President remains committed to genuine and transparent public service by banning politicians’ involvement in financial aid distributions to guarantee that assistance reaches beneficiaries without political patronage.

“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,” Castro said.

“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,” she added.

In the same briefing, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said public officials must not put their names, pictures, or logos on government-funded projects. Instead, only the project title, date of contract award, start and completion dates, and source of funds should be displayed.

Remulla warned that administrative cases, such as suspension, may be filed against those who violate the rule. “Kung recidivist ang attitude ng local chief executive ay puwede namin ipasa sa Ombudsman ito for admin and criminal cases,” he said.

He also encouraged the public to actively report politicians violating the current “anti-epal” rules. “Ang anti-epal guidelines naman ay klaro na kapag may violation ang mga politicians, tinatawag namin ang mga mamamayan, i-post sa Facebook at puwede naming imbestigahan,” he said.

Although removal from office is not yet an option, Remulla said suspension is already a grave punishment. He also expressed support for legislation that would institutionalize the “anti-epal” rules to prevent self-promotion by politicians using public funds.

“Dapat gumawa na sila kasi sa ngayon iyong anti-epal campaign was only born out of the frustration ng mga tao in the last 15 years. So, wala pa tayong codified conduct para diyan sa anti-epal campaign. And it will be a great help if the national legislature made steps para talagang mabawal iyan,” Remulla said.