Local officials of Taguig City set off the New Year with a consultation meeting with community leaders in a bid to achieve smooth transition of the 10 EMBO (Enlisted Men’s Barrio) which were transferred from Makati City to Taguig by virtue of a Supreme Court ruling.
Taguig Mayor Laarni Cayetano said the meeting with the village leaders in the EMBO barangays was also aimed to improve collaboration and create a smooth integration for the benefit of the local residents.
EMBO refers to a collective term for barangays administered in a de facto state by the city government of Makati but de jure of the city government of Taguig after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Taguig denying any further legal remedies to Makati.
These villages include Cembo, Comembo, Pembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, South Cembo, Pitogo, Post Proper Northside, Post Proper Southside, and Rizal.
Cayetano, along with City Administrator Jose Luis Montales, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, and department heads at city hall, spoke with the EMBO barangay officials about the delivery of services to constituents and addressed barangay officials’ concern.
Mayor Cayetano said they also discussed the city government’s pioneering programs and laid the groundwork for their implementation in the said barangays.
“This meeting marked a significant step towards Taguig’s vision of a transformative, lively, and caring (city) for new residents. With renewed leadership and a collaborative spirit, our city is poised to make notable progress in welcoming and serving its new residents,” she said.
Senator Cayetano, on his part, emphasized the importance of communication to establish shared priorities.
The city officials gave assurance that the local government of Taguig was prepared to take on the responsibility of governing the new communities with the same commitment and solicitude it has done with the 28 barangays.
The senator also emphasized the importance of communication to establish shared priorities. “We need to talk to set our priorities.”
Meanwhile, the city government announced the reopening of fire stations, and now in normal operations in EMBO barangays after Makati closed them in December. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) will continue to manage and operate these stations.
“Taguig does not surrender or waive all rights to the ownership of these facilities and the land they reside on. The government exists for the welfare of the people, not for their destruction,” the city officials said.
Senator Cayetano had expressed his anger at the Makati City government’s decision to close the fire stations in the barangays, despite Mayor Abigail Binay’s earlier statement that her city would comply with the Supreme Court decision that placed the said barangays under the City of Taguig.