The government of Taguig has dismissed the complaints filed by Makati City against the Taguig City Treasurer and two other employees saying the complaints are “baseless.”
In a statement, Taguig stated that the cases filed by Makati were intended only to harass its officials and that the cases would not deter them from providing “transformative programs for the residents of Enlisted Men’s Barrio (EMBO).”
Makati filed a graft complaint against Taguig City Treasurer Voltaire Enriquez, Jessie Garcia, and Erika Macaligtas for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Grave Misconduct, Gross Neglect of Duty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.
The complaint was based on the 11-month delay in the release of tax clearance documents by the Taguig Treasurer’s Office for three parcels of land purchased by Makati from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) at a cost of P146,503,273.
This was the second time that Makati had filed a case against Taguig, following the recent closure of Makati City Park and Garden situated in EMBO villages.
On March 5, employees of the Makati City government filed charges of illegal detention and grave coercion against Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano and other city officials and personnel.
Mayor Cayetano, City Administrator Jose Luis Montales, and Maria Theresa Veloso, Danny Cañaveral, and several John Does, who introduced themselves as personnel of the local government unit of Taguig, are the respondents in the case. Three counts of illegal detention and one count of grave coercion have been filed against them before the Office of the City Prosecutors in Taguig.
Three complainants claimed and attested that they were harassed and detained against their will by several Taguig personnel who claimed to have acted on the orders of Mayor Cayetano. They said three separate incidents occurred successively on March 1, 2, and 3, 2024, all in the vicinity of the Makati Park and Garden.
The park is situated in Barangays West Rembo and Cembo, the villages now under the jurisdiction of Taguig following a Supreme Court ruling in 2022.
The Taguig City government has accused Makati City of playing “the victim” and described the criminal cases filed against Mayor Cayetano and other personnel for the closure of Makati Park and Garden as a publicity stunt.
The local government of Taguig ordered the closure of Makati Park and Garden on March 3, claiming it was operating without permits.