SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPU8LIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES· 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 12 9 7 
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INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Public works are financed by public funds; hence, no one person or entity can 
claim that these are their projects because the taxpayers who dutifully pay their 
taxes are the ones who made their implementation possible. 
To give credit where it is due, this measure seeks to prohibit public officials from 
claiming credit for the implementation of public works project by displaying any 
form of signage for this purpose. The "Anti-Signage on Public Works Ace' will 
correct both the misinformation being disseminated by such signages and the 
inaccurate impression they create for the public officials. 
This bill was submitted by the Committees on Civil Service and Government 
Reorganization, and Public Works during the Fifteenth Congress. 
In fact, it 
received favorable responses from different sectors of the society. However, it 
was overtaken by events and was not enacted into law. 
The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
OY EJERCITO I:STRADA 
Senator 


SIXUEiNTH CONGREiSS OF THE REiPUBL.IC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 12 9 7 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
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/lIJ6 15 AS:43 
PROHIBITING PUBLIC OFFICERS FROM CLAIMING CREDIT THROUGH 
SIGNAGE ANNOUNCING A PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Signage on 
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Public Works Act'. 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the State's policy for public officers to serve 
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with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, and to maintain 
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honesty and integrity in public service. 
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SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposesofthis Act, the term: ' 
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(a) "Government" means the national government, the local governments, the 
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government-owned and government-controlled corporations, and all other 
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instrumentalities or agencies of the Republic of the Philippines and their 
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branches; 
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(b) "Public officer" means elective and appointive· officials and employees, 
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permanent or temporary, whether in the classified or unclassified or 
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exempt service receiving compensation, even nominal, from the 
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government as defined in the preceding paragraph; 
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(c) "Public works" includes, but is not limited to the following: streets, bridges, 
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sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public parks, sewage facilities, 
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basketball courts, waiting sheds, and lampposts, which are funded, wholly 
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or partly, though public funds released by the Government and; 
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(d) "Signage" any form of written announcement, installed, posted, hanged, 
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painted or otherwise displayed in a public place. 
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SEC. 4. Prohibited Acts. - The following constitute a violation of this Act: 
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(a) Affixing, or causing to be affixed, the name, initials, logo or image of any 
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public official to a signage announcing a proposed, on-going or completed 
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public works project; 
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(b) Installing, 
or causing 
to 
be 
installed, 
sign age announcing the 
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maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of public works crediting 
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individual public officer, or bearing his or her image, for the maintenance, 
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rehabilitation, and construction of such public works. 
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SEC. 5. Allowed Practices. - Nothing in this Act shall be construed to exclude 
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agencies, departments, and local government units from: 
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(a) Affixing, or causing to be affixed, their official name or logo to a signage 
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announcing a proposed or on-going public works project; or 
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(b) Installing, 
or causing 
to 
be 
installed, 
sign age 
announcing 
the 
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maintenance, rehabilitation, and, construction of public works crediting the 
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agency, department, or local government unit, or bearing their logo, for the 
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maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of such public works. 
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SEC. 6. Removal of Existing Signage. - The Department of Public Works and 
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Highways (DPWH), in coordination with the Department of Interior and local 
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Government (DILG) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), is 
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hereby ordered to remove all existing signage announcing a proposed or on-
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going public works project, and all existing signage announcing the maintenance, 
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rehabilitation and construction of a public works project bearing the name or 
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image of an individual public officer, within three (3) months after the effectivity of 
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this Act. 
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Thereafter, the DPWH, through the MMDA in Metro Manila and through the 
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provincial, city and/or municipal engineers in other regions, shall be duty-bound 
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to remove any and all signages mentioned above within seven (7) days from any 
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validated report of the existence thereof, as provided in the next section. 
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SEC. 7. 
Validated Report. - Any reportof any of the acts prohibited under 
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Section 4 of this Act shall be addressed to the DPWH Regional Director and 
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must be accompanied by photos. of the offending signage and the complete 
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details of the exact location where the signage is found, as well as the date it was 
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last seen, copy furnished to the DPWH secretary. 
The concerned DPWH 
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regional director shall officially act on the said report and shall send a team to 
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verify and confirm the veracity of the report within seven (7) days from receipt 
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thereof. 
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Upon the validation of the report, the DPWH Regional Director shall officially 
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inform either the MMDA chairman or the concerned provincial, city and/or 
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municipal engineer about the validated report and the latter shall have seven (7) 
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days to act on the validated report. 
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Any such designated officer or officers who shall fail or refuse to comply with the 
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foregoing may be charged administratively for neglect of duty 
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SEC. 8. Prescription of Offenses. - All offenses punishable under this Act shall 
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prescribe in four (4) years. 
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SEC. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected 
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shall remain valid and subsisting. 
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SEC. 10. 
Repealing Clause. -
Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation 
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contrary to or is inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, 
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modified or amended accordingly. 
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SEC. 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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