Makati Mayor Abby Binay (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Makati City Mayor Abby Binay has vowed to find ways to continue helping out the more than 300,000 residents who are now with Taguig City after the Supreme Court resolved the territorial dispute between the two cities in favor of Taguig.
In a video message posted on Makati’s official Facebook page, Binay said she and the whole city government would coordinate with concerned agencies of the national government on how best to execute the SC decision.
The high court ruled in April that the entire Fort Andres Bonifacio, including the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and the enlisted men’s barrios (Embo) belong to Taguig City, ending a years-long dispute with Makati City.
This resulted in more than 300,000 residents of Makati being transferred to Taguig, which made Binay emotional in her video message, saying, “No one should let go.”
“We will find a way for Makati to continue to assist and serve you,” Binay assured the affected residents in her message.
She touted the city’s “best social protection benefits” that she pointed out Taguig “is unlikely to match.”
Some of these benefits include cash allowances for its senior citizens who each can receive P1,500 up to P5,000; free health-care services for each holder of Makati’s yellow card; free tuition for students and cash incentives for students after graduation, among others.
Binay stressed that while Taguig can provide the same benefits to its residents considering the “hefty revenues” being earned from BGC, she wondered how come the city had not done so.
“Shouldn’t the residents of Taguig get to share in the city’s prosperity?” she asked.
As for the scholarships, Binay cited Taguig City’s policies on scholarships for graduating senior high school students who are required to have a three-year residency before being granted one. More than 3,000 students from the 10 transferred barangays may be affected, she said.
Binay also noted that for students to avail of scholarships, they should be registered voters in Taguig if they are 18 years old or above.
“I am worried for the future of thousands of youth and students who will not be able to graduate from our public elementary and high schools in Makati, and at the University of Makati,” Binay said.