Binay hits timing of Taguig’s petition on Embo health facilities

MALOLOS, Bulacan — Makati Mayor Abby Binay has questioned the timing of the petition filed by the Taguig local government unit (LGU) regarding the access and possession of public healthcare facilities in the Embo (Enlisted Men’s Barrio) barangays, after a court asked Makati to stop blocking its neighbor.

Binay during the press briefing of the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate at the Bulacan State University here said that if the Taguig LGU’s concern was really about its constituents’ health, the petition should have been filed in January 2024—when the dispute about the health centers began.

On Tuesday, the Taguig City Regional Trial Court issued a 72-hour temporary restraining order (TRO) for Makati’s LGU to stop blocking Taguig’s access to government-owned centers in the Embo barangays.

READ: Taguig City’s jurisdiction over BGC complex sealed – SC

“All of these happened in a span of one week, and a week before the elections. First of all, Makati did not stop Taguig from taking over, based on the court order. They filed a new case last Monday […] they entered the health center by Tuesday, they opened a new health center today, but their TRO will be up to Friday only,” Binay, who is seeking a Senate seat, said.

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“I question the timing because the health centers have been in that condition for one year and five months. Why did you wait a week before the elections to file a case, get a TRO, and get possession of the health centers? If you are truly concerned about your constituents, as early as January 2024 you should have filed cases and insisted that you get possession of the property,” she added.

It can be recalled that in April 2023, the Supreme Court (SC) decided with finality that the Bonifacio Military Reservation (BMR), which includes the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) lifestyle and business district, is part of Taguig City.

The same ruling also made permanent the writ of preliminary injunction issued in 1994 by the Pasig City Regional Trial Court that stopped Makati City “from exercising jurisdiction over, making improvements on, or otherwise treating as part of its territory, Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031 comprising Fort Bonifacio.”

The area mentioned includes BGC, the Philippine Army Headquarters, Navy installations, Marines headquarters, Consular area, JUSMAG, Heritage Park, Libingan ng mga Bayani, AFP Officers Village, and six other villages.

The 10 “enlisted men’s barrios” (Embos) that are now barangays are also deemed part of Taguig.

After the SC decision, Makati and Taguig disputed ownership of facilities in the Embo barangays, including the healthcare centers.

“Since Makati suddenly closed the health centers in ‘Embo’ barangays while it did not want to turn over these facilities to Taguig, Taguig will temporarily provide teleconsultations for residents of Embo barangays who were deprived of essential health services by Makati,” the Taguig government said in a statement last January 2024.

Binay however reminded the public that the SC decision was about territorial jurisdiction, and not ownership of facilities.

“The [SC] decision is not about ownership, it is about territorial jurisdiction. The court did not say that everything that Makati owns now goes to Taguig. What the Supreme Court said, Parcel 3 and 4 of map whatever is now part of Taguig,” she said.

“So the reason why this case has been dragging on is because Taguig refuses to get a writ of execution, that’s the reason why we were fighting about it before, right? If there is a writ of execution, we would know how to implement the [SC] decision, but up to now we have no writ. That’s why it’s confusing. This is not my fault,” she added.

Different surveys have shown that Binay is currently within the Magic 12 for the 2025 midterm elections. According to the OCTA Research survey released earlier, Binay ranks eighth, in a list dominated by her and seven other Alyansa bets.

Binay is meanwhile ninth in the Pulse Asia survey released on Tuesday. /cb