Manila, Feb. 2 -- Senator Loren Legarda on Monday called for a law making permanent the Department of the Interior and Local Government's (DILG) crackdown on political branding on government-funded projects.

Legarda welcomed the DILG directive ordering the removal of names, images, and likenesses of public officials from publicly funded billboards, markers, vehicles, and other properties.

She said administrative rules alone are not enough to end the long-standing practice and that public office is a trust and not a platform for self-promotion.

"Public funds are for public service, not for personal publicity," Legarda said.

She noted that while agencies have issued similar prohibitions over the years-including earlier DILG circulars, C...