Senator backs DILG’s anti-epal policySenator Ping Lacson addresses the Senate's ongoing flood control investigation and other matters concerning the upper chamber during the "Kapihan sa Senado" on January 14, 2026. Reacting to DILG Memorandum Circular 2026-006, Lacson said the ubiquity of epal materials – a colloquialism for credit-grabbing by public officials – often signals deeper irregularities in infrastructure spending. While surely, there are no ghost billboards, most likely the ‘epal’ billboards are as overpriced as the projects,” Lacson said in a post on X. The DILG directive, issued on Jan. 29, explicitly prohibits the display of any public official’s “name, image and likeness” on government projects and signboards. However, the senator acknowledged that the fight against the politicization of public funds is far from over.

Source: Philippine Star January 31, 2026 16:32 UTC