Taguig vows to address apprehensions during transition of affected public schools

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano with the graduating students in Taguig. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano on Monday appealed for patience and understanding to teachers and parents of 14 public schools affected by the transition of several barangays (villages) from Makati to Taguig City.

Cayetano also assured affected students and their parents that the Taguig City government has already prepared school kits to be distributed “soon.”

“Marubdob at masigasig akong makikipag-ugnayan sa mga opisyal ng Department of Education upang masiguro ko na sa pagbubukas ng school year iyong mga pangamba po ninyo, yung mga agam-agam po ninyo, yung mga katanungan po ninyo, unti unting masasagot, malilinawan, at matutugunan,” the mayor said during the launch of “Brigadang Eskwela” in Taguig.

(I will earnestly and diligently contact the officials of the Department of Education so that I can make sure that at the opening of the school year your fears, your doubts, your questions, will be answered, clarified, and can be met.)

To recall, the cities of Makati and Taguig have been embroiled in a land dispute, which was then resolved by the Supreme Court (SC) in favor of Taguig.

The SC third division ruled that Taguig owns Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation — where Bonifacio Global City is located — and ordered Makati’s city government to stop exercising its authority within the area.

Embo barangays welcome Taguig mayor

As Taguig kicks off Brigada Eskwela in new schools now under its care, officials and students of public schools in Embo barangays warmly welcomed Cayetano.

The Taguig mayor was given a warm and enthusiastic welcome as she joined hands with officials from the Department of Education, school principals, teachers, students, parents, and volunteers to start the program.

Commencing at the Makati Science High School, the Brigada Eskwela initiative brought together a team of volunteers, including those from the Taguig City Police Station, National Capital Region Police Office, Southern Police District, Bureau of Fire Protection, as well as representatives from various groups and organizations in the Embo barangays.

Among the areas included in the court’s decision are Barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Philippine Army headquarters, Navy installation, Marines’ headquarters, Consular area, Joint United States Military Assistance Group area, Heritage Park, Libingan ng mga Bayani, Armed Forces of the Philippines Officers Village and six other near villages.

The dispute, however, didn’t stop there as tensions seemed to flare up further after Taguig City announced taking over all the public schools located in barangays mentioned by the Supreme Court decision on the boundary dispute between two cities.

The Makati City government, for its part, claimed that the 14 public schools in Barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, and Pitogo — collectively known as Embo — were still under its jurisdiction.

It accused Taguig of “forcibly taking over” these public schools, even calling for appropriate criminal and administrative charges.

Meanwhile, the Taguig City government said that all the public schools’ officials are already in talks with Cayetano and other city officials to plan and synchronize their efforts for the opening of classes.

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JPV