The 21st City Council of Cagayan de Oro has unanimously approved City Ordinance No. 15299-2026, also known as the Anti-Epal Ordinance of 2026. The measure prohibits city and barangay officials from placing personal names, images, logos, or any form of branding on publicly funded projects and programs, including signages that associate such initiatives with their identity or claim personal credit for public works. The ordinance aligns with the policy set under Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2026-006 dated January 29, 2026, which promotes transparency, accountability, and the proper use of government resources. Read full text of the ordinance below.
PROHIBITED ACTS (Section 5)
- Naming government projects or programs after incumbent or former local officials, or using their initials.
- Placing the name, alias, image, insignia, logo, or initials of local officials on project signages funded by public funds.
- Crediting elected officials through signages for the construction, maintenance, or rehabilitation of public works.
- Installing marks, stickers, or materials with personal branding on city- or barangay-owned properties purchased with public funds.
- Posting tarpaulins or banners with officials’ names, logos, insignia, initials, or images during government-funded programs or public events (e.g., fiestas, holidays, City Charter Day, graduations).
- Using personal branding on safety signages, government properties, or public buildings (including paint colors associated with an official).
- Branding government-issued documents, except for specific administrative purposes.
- Painting public buildings with personal branding colors.
- Attaching any stickers that contains the name, logo, insignia, alias, image and/or initials to property owned by the barangay that was bought using public funds.
EXEMPTIONS (Section 6)
- Branding for tourism, culture, arts, or public information (without personal branding).
- Public slogans authorized by the City Mayor (excluding personal branding).
- Campaign materials during election periods.
- Practices allowed by law or ordinance.
ANTI-EPAL TASKFORCE
An Anti-Epal Taskforce will be created to be led by the Head of the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB) and empowered to remove materials that violate the Ordinance and file appropriate cases, with removal costs charged to the violator. The Taskforce is also mandated to draft the Implementing Rules and Regulations within three months from the Ordinance’s approval.
PENALTY
Any incumbent local government official found violating the Ordinance faces a ₱5,000 fine and a minimum of six months’ imprisonment.
