MANILA, Philippines — Makati City branded the local government of Taguig a “bully” for shutting down its riverfront park for supposedly “operating without the necessary permits.”
The Makati city government said Taguig issued the closure order on Sunday morning and proceeded to block all entrances, erected barricades, and deployed its personnel to surround the perimeter of Makati Park and Garden.
“The order was served on the same day at 6:40 a.m. The park’s gate was padlocked by men with scarves covering their faces. Several Makati employees remain trapped inside the park,” the local government said in a statement also issued on Sunday.
In an earlier statement, Taguig City claimed that Makati failed to secure a mayor’s permit in accordance with the Local Government Code, jurisprudence, and local ordinances covering any business, trade, or activity within the city.
“The said park and garden, which has been effectively closed as a park by Makati and used as a garage for its heavy equipment and storage for various objects, is subject to Taguig’s jurisdiction, which has the right to possess and administer the same, notwithstanding Makati’s unlawful possession,” Taguig said.
In response, Makati questioned the timing of Taguig’s move and its deployment of 100 uniformed personnel to close the area.
“If this were true, why issue a closure order on a Sunday and serve it on the same day at 6:40 a.m.? Why deploy 100 uniformed personnel to serve a closure order on a garage?” the former said.
“But Taguig, by insisting that Makati needs to secure a permit for the park, affirms our ownership of the property. This contradicts their earlier statement, but by now, we are accustomed to Taguig’s legal somersaults and twisted logic,” it added.
Likewise, the local government stood firm in its claim that the property was theirs and would not yield to “a bully,” pertaining to Taguig. It added that the move may also send wrong signals to foreign investors and ruin potential foreign investments.
“Taguig’s handling of the Makati Park issue, as well as other issues involving the EMBO communities, is childish, arrogant, and reckless,” Makati said.
“How can foreign investors feel secure and protected when a local government in Metro Manila can behave with little regard for the law and the legal process?”
Makati also reiterated its call for the national government “to censure Taguig for its actions” in a bid to preserve and protect the former’s properties.