Makati sues 3 Taguig gov’t employees for graft, grave misconduct

Makati and Taguig maps. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Makati City has filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against three employees of the Taguig local government, including the city treasurer, accusing them of deliberately delaying by almost a year the release of tax clearance documents for plots of land bought by the former.

In a statement released on Monday, the Makati local government said it had charged Taguig City Treasurer Voltaire Enriquez and employees Jessie Garcia and Erika Macaligtas with violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, in addition to grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the service.

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Delayed release

The charges, it added, were based on the delayed release of tax clearances it was seeking from Taguig City officials. The documents were for three parcels of land in Taguig that Makati purchased from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority for P146.5 million.

“Despite having certified true copies of the tax declarations, we have yet to obtain the tax clearance documents or a tax assessment of possible taxes due,” Makati said in its complaint.

It accused the Taguig employees of discrimination by intentionally delaying, without any justification, the processing of the tax clearances. According to Makati, this violated the Taguig local government’s policy of a three-day turnaround for individuals and five days for corporations.

Improper acts

“Their conduct affects not just the City of Taguig but all the persons dealing with their office,” the Makati complaint read. “Their improper and imprudent acts will tend to undermine people’s faith and confidence in our government.”

Makati Mayor Abby Binay alleged in the statement that the “Taguig City Government has shown on many occasions a contemptuous disregard for the law.” “Their obsession to grab properties owned by Makati seems to have compromised their judgment, public conduct, and sense of decency,” she said.

Reached for comment, the Taguig local government’s public information office called the case “another baseless complaint filed by Makati, intended only to harass [our] officials.”

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It added that the complaint “[would] not detract them from giving ‘Embo’ residents transformative programs that they deserve.”

The two cities have been embroiled in several disputes arising from the 2021 Supreme Court decision, which transferred jurisdiction over 10 Embo (enlisted men’s barrios) villages from Makati City to the Taguig local government.

The decision became final in 2022. INQ