Taguig City must create more courts in order to manage its growing number of cases resulting from the inclusion of the 10 Enlisted Men’s Barrio (EMBO) barangays to its jurisdiction, according to Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay.
Meanwhile, the Taguig City government said it will take responsibility for the EMBO barangay residents studying at the University of Makati. Taguig officials issued the statement after the affected school declared those EMBO students were no longer considered Makati residents.
Binay said Taguig Mayor Laarni Cayetano should ask the Taguig representatives in Congress to file an urgent bill creating additional courts to handle the cases in the EMBO barangays.
Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) issued a resolution directing seven Regional Trial Courts and four Metropolitan Trial Courts of Makati to assist Taguig in resolving its cases.
The SC has ruled that the 10 Embo barangays, previously under the control of Makati, are under the jurisdiction of Taguig City, referring to Barangays Cembo, Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, South Cembo, Pitogo, Post Proper Northside, Post Proper Southside, and Rizal.
“Mayor Lani Cayetano should already get the ball rolling and urge Taguig lawmakers to file an urgent bill proposing the creation of additional courts that will absorb the additional caseload resulting from the transfer of 10 EMBO barangays to Taguig,” Mayor Binay said.
She reminded Cayetano that the SC’s move was only intended as a temporary solution to help in the transition of judicial jurisdiction from Makati to Taguig.
“Albeit temporary, the arrangement poses an inconvenience to Taguig litigants and causes undue imposition on Makati and its taxpayers. We will be shouldering the costs of operations and bearing the impact of the increased number of visitors on city hall’s operations,” Binay said.
“Taguig has funds and they say they are ready to take over. How come they are not taking action,” she added.
“They want Makati to assume the costs and expenses, they want to get properties that are not theirs, but they do not want to assume any responsibility,”Binay said.
The mayor also noted that the designated assisting courts in Makati will be doubly burdened because they will not only bear a heavier caseload but also more paperwork owing to the new guidelines.
“As such, it is incumbent upon the Mayor of Taguig to see to it that their House Representatives, her husband and her sister-in-law in the Senate, will take urgent action by filing a bill creating additional courts and actively pushing for its enactment,” Binay said.
In its Resolution, the Supreme Court has designated seven Regional Trial Courts of Makati as assisting courts, namely, Branches 136 (Family Court), 144 (Family Court), 147 (Special Commercial Court, 63 (Drugs Court), 145, 65 (Drugs Court), and 134.
The students will have to pay a P3,000 tuition per semester, along with miscellaneous fees.
“The City of Taguig assures EMBO residents that they have nothing to worry about the impact of this move, as Taguig has taken steps to continue their education and increase their benefits,” Taguig’s public information office said in a statement.
“The leadership of the Taguig believes that all people are created in the likeness of God, and have the ability to shape themselves for the betterment of themselves and their society. When the government
supports the people, they will strive to improve their lives,” it added.
The local government assured that its scholarship program is not limited to the top 10 percent of senior high school graduates.
“Our leaders believe that each individual has different skills and talents. All high school graduates, including those already in college, have the opportunity to study without being hindered by expenses. Even those reviewing for board and bar exams, obtaining master’s and doctoral degrees, and studying law or medicine also have scholarships,” it stated.
As Taguig college scholars, the students receive P15,000 to P50,000 per year for education in the school of their choice.
“In the event that you receive a scholarship from another agency or institution, Taguig will still provide the scholarship benefits that suit you,” it added.
City records showed that more than 83,000 Taguig scholars are studying in more than 200 universities and colleges in Metro Manila and Luzon including the University of the Philippines, Ateneo, La Salle, and University of Santo Tomas.
In the first semester of the academic year 2023-2024, more than 5,000 Embo students availed of the Taguig scholarship.
Under the city’s scholarship program, thousands of students have graduated; 1,815 graduated with honors. Of those who took the board or bar examinations, 3,506 passed; 45 of them are included in the Top 10 or Topnotcher nationwide. These scholars have become engineers, teachers, nurses, accountants, architects, psychometricians, criminologists, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals.
Mayor Cayetano has instructed the City Scholarship Office to monitor and guide Embo students who want to continue their studies at UMak.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the 10 Embo barangays, previously under the control of Makati, are under the jurisdiction of Taguig City, referring to Barangays Cembo, Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, South Cembo, Pitogo, Post Proper Northside, Post Proper Southside, and Rizal.