"anti-epal bill"

senate bill 1967 -- "an act prohibiting public officers from claiming credit through signage announcing a public works project," or in the headlines recently as “the anti-epal bill” filed by senator miriam defensor santiago . . . i love you, senator, it’s about time! 

i downloaded a copy of the bill from the senate website. 

section 4 of said bill enumerates the prohibited acts as follows:

1.  affixing, or causing to be affixed, the name, or image of any public official to a

signage announcing a proposed or on-going public works project.

2. installing, or causing to be installed, signage announcing the maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of public works crediting individual public officer, or bearing his or her image, for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of such public works.

section 3 of said bill however defines public works as “includes, but is not limited to the following: streets, bridges, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public parks, sewage facilities, basketball courts, waiting sheds, and lampposts, which are funded, wholly or partly, though public funds released by the Government.”

if this bill becomes a law and is properly implemented, i am sure our streets will be cleared of quite a number of “mapapel” posters but will it be significant and will it last long before our “public servants” learn of a way to legally avoid this prohibition?

on the one hand, as the (filed) bill is worded and just for the sake of argument (or maybe improvement?), will the following be covered? 

will “including but not limited to streets, bridges, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public parks, sewage facilities, basketball courts, waiting sheds, and lampposts” encompass santacruzan, circumcision/tuli, wheelchairs,  fire brigade, scholarships, holiday greetings and the like such as in the case above?  . . . tsk . . . tsk . . .  


hmmm . . . streets, bridges, walkways, public building, public parks, sewage facilities, basketball courts, waiting sheds, lampposts, santacruzan, tuli, wheelchairs, fire brigade, scholarships . . . your honor, parang may mali poh! help!

[note:  nothing personal to Atty. TRISHA BONOAN-David CONGRESSWOMAN - ginagaya ko lang poh ang presentation sa mga posters nya --  as i am sure there are others similarly situated but hers easily come to mind because i pass by her district often at sa dami ng posters nya, kulang na lang mapanaginipan ko na sya . . . imagine, around 4 of those in a day, one way, so 8 sightings in a day x 23 working days a month x 12 = 2, 208 sightings in a year . . .oh my gulay! wala pang fiesta greetings yan etc. etc . . and if memory serves me right, she is the same person who used to have similar but smaller posters all over the district (including the riles which i cross), when she was still councilor . . . meron pa yatang happy valentines at happy graduation kung hindi ako nagkakamali -- btw, all images from google, easily]  overload, overload! tinalo pa ang 4-way test ng rotary club na nagkalat sa daan nung bata pa ako -- is it the truth? is it fair to all concerned? . . . bwahaha!  again, nothing personal . . .the congresswoman may after all be a deserving, sincere and truly working public servant but baka naman pwedeng wag na ikalat ang sangkatutak na posters na yan?   

Z