‘Embo’ voters can’t pick House bet – Comelec

NO SAY Residents in the 10 Enlisted Men’s Barrios or “Embos,” which were earlier declared to be under the jurisdiction of Taguig and not Makati, will not have a say in who gets to represent them in the lower house in the 2025 midterm elections. —Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Residents in the 10 Enlisted Men’s Barrios (Embo) barangays who were transferred in 2022 to the jurisdiction of Taguig from Makati City would be able to vote for candidates running for national and local posts in next year’s midterm elections, but not for a House member.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Garcia said on Tuesday the poll body en banc arrived at a decision during a recent meeting, as the affected Embo residents had yet to be assigned their designated districts.

Garcia said the Comelec decided to prepare the ballots early and give concerned parties enough time to question the legality of its decision before the Supreme Court.

READ: Makati, Taguig press dispute over ‘Embo’ health facilities

Up for grabs in next year’s elections are seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, in addition to local posts ranging from governor, vice governor, provincial board member, mayor, vice mayor to city councilor.

READ: Makati disputes Taguig claim on ‘embo’ barangay ambulances

Taguig City has two seats in the House. But with the combined population of the Embo barangays—composed of Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Northside and Southside— a new district could be created, Garcia said. A district is made up of at least 250,000 residents. The 10 Embo barangays have around 300,000 residents.

READ: DepEd: Taguig in charge of 14 ‘Embo’ schools

Up to Congress

Garcia explained that only Congress has the authority to assign districts for the affected barangays.

“Currently, there is no status yet, there is no law that states that a new district is being created there in Taguig. At the same time, the Comelec cannot include them in the 10 barangays in one district because … that will be changing the existing law that we have,” he said.

On the other hand, the around 38,000 residents of the three remaining barangays in Makati City’s second district, which the 10 Embo barangays used to be part of, would be able to vote for all positions in the 2025 elections, including House representative, Garcia said.

The poll body has no authority to dissolve districts either, he explained.

Makati’s second district is currently represented in the House by Rep. Luis Campos Jr., the husband of the city’s incumbent mayor, Abigail Binay.

Binay, who is serving her last and final term, said earlier that she wanted Campos to succeed her and ensure the continuity of her programs and projects for the city.

The territorial dispute between the cities of Makati and Taguig dates back to 1993, when the latter filed a complaint against the former before the Pasig Regional Trial Court to resolve jurisdiction over the Embo barangays and Fort Bonifacio. The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals and, later on, the Supreme Court.

On Sept. 28, 2022, the high tribunal’s Special Third Division denied with finality Makati’s omnibus motion for reconsideration of its Dec. 1, 2021, decision, which declared that the disputed properties were within Taguig’s territorial jurisdiction.