Gov. Atty. Jose V. Gambito has directed authorities in the provincial government to strictly comply with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2026‑006, known as the “Anti‑Epal” policy, following a meeting on Monday with DILG Provincial Director Catherine G. Allam‑Miranda.
The circular, issued Jan. 29, 2026, bars the display or affixture of the name, image or likeness of public officials on government projects and mandates the removal of existing non‑compliant materials. It underscores that public office is a public trust and that government projects are funded by taxpayers, not individual officials, and assigns heads of offices and local executives responsibility for enforcement nationwide.
Gambito said he had already instructed the Provincial Administrator’s Office to prepare a memorandum order for immediate and strict implementation upon receipt of the DILG directive. He also ordered the removal of his own name, image and likeness from all provincial government projects , programs and activities including letterheads, tarpaulins, project markers and other official publications.
“As a lawyer and a public servant, I must follow directives from the proper authorities,” he said, adding that the policy posed no problem for his administration because his approach to governance is people‑centered. Invoking his administration’s “gayyem ti umili” principle, he said the programs of his administration are outward‑looking and that the true measure of government is the quality of service delivered to citizens.
“This policy is consistent with our approach to governance,” he added. “Our administration is firmly people‑centered — the true face of government is the quality of service we deliver to our citizens, not the display of any official’s name or image on public projects.”
The DILG circular applies nationwide and instructs local chief executives, department heads and other officials to remove or prevent materials that promote individual officials on publicly funded projects, reinforcing efforts to depersonalize government branding and focus on service delivery. /RMI
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