Apache requires manual restart before recognizing PHP

I thought I had this figured out but low and behold, the server gets a reboot and when it comes back up Apache is again trying to send .php to the browser as a download file rather than processing too html on the server side.

Currently, the server recognizes the php files only after manually restarting it (apachectl restart or /etc/init.d/httpd restart). The PHP module is in place and seem to work perfectly after the restart but I can’t figure out why this is not working after the server starts during boot.

I see it as a huge security hole in addition to being a downright pain for the local admin (most tech literate person at that location).

Has anyone seen this anomaly before?