‘Harassed, detained’ Makati government employees sue Taguig

MANILA, Philippines — Four employees of the Makati City government sued Taguig local officials, led by Mayor Lani Cayetano, on Tuesday, saying they were either harassed or detained inside the Makati Park and Garden — the subject of an ownership dispute between the two cities.

The charges of three counts of illegal detention and one count of grave coercion were filed in the office of the Taguig City prosecutor.

Aside from Cayetano, also named as respondents were Taguig City Administrator Jose Luis Montales, Business Permits and Licensing Office head Maria Theresa Veloso, Traffic Management Office head Danny Cañaveral, and several “John Does” who had introduced themselves as local government personnel.

READ: Taguig City: Makati Park and Garden is ours

Cayetano and the other respondents could not be immediately reached by the Inquirer for comment. However, in a message to the Inquirer, the Taguig Public Information Office said they had yet to receive an official copy of the complaint against the local officials.

One of the Makati City government employees, Salvador Palisa, said he was forced to stay inside the park from March 1 to 2 after Taguig traffic personnel chained and padlocked the gate.

The Taguig personnel also warned him not to attempt to leave the park while prohibiting anyone else from entering, Palisa said in his affidavit.

Another complainant, Salvador Mercado, said he was illegally detained inside the park amphitheater on March 2 after it was also closed.

No permit

Mercado added that he was told the Taguig City government was shuttering the park because it had no permit to operate.

A third Makati government employee, identified as Ryalyn Almazar, said that she and her coworkers at the city’s Aqua Sports Arena were trapped inside for hours on March 3 after some men in civilian clothes accompanied by uniformed Taguig personnel placed a closure order on the gate to the facility, claiming it lacked a business permit.

Joven Mediavillo, the fourth complainant, accused Taguig personnel of preventing him from entering his workplace at the sports arena on the same day.

The Taguig local government shuttered the park on Sunday for allegedly operating without the necessary permits. But Makati City legal officer Don Camiña said that facilities owned by national government agencies and local government units were exempt from business and other taxes. He added that the property was awarded to Makati through Presidential Proclamation No. 1916 signed by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Oct. 14, 2009.