Makati City officials led by Mayor Abigail Binay on Thursday filed an urgent motion for clarification with a prayer for the issuance of a status quo ante order in connection with the jurisdiction of 10 villages now under the control of Taguig City.
Accompanied by her husband, Makati Rep. Luis Campos, Binay filed the case with Branch 153 of the Regional Trial Court of Taguig City.
“Makati only wants an orderly administration of the Supreme Court decision with the least disruption to the residents and the uninterrupted delivery of basic services in the affected areas,” she said.
The motion seeks to issue a status quo order against Taguig City, citing attempts by Makati’s neighbor to implement the Supreme Court’s decision unilaterally and arbitrarily without any writ of execution from the trial court.
Binay, along with City Administrator Claro Certeza and City Legal Officer Michael Camiña, argued that a status quo order is warranted to promote the common good and protect the public interest.
Makati Mayor Abby Binay (center) shows the petition the city filed before Branch 153 of the Taguig Regional Trial Court on Thursday. With Binay (from left) are Makati City Administrator Claro F. Certeza, City Legal Officer Michael Arthur R. Camiña, and Makati Rep. Luis N. Campos.
“Taguig cannot simply take the law into its own hands and act as itpleases without any writ of execution issued by the court. Because of Taguig’s arbitrary, whimsical, and capricious attempts to unilaterally implement the Court decision in a piece-meal manner, the people’s welfare has been unduly prejudiced by Taguig City and has created unwarranted tension and confusion among the residents and various government agencies,” the mayor said.
Makati City noted the Supreme Court did not expressly order that any part of its decision is to be immediately executory, nor did it expressly mention in the dispositive part the exact metes and bounds of Parcels 3 and 4 of PSU-2031, which covers Fort Bonifacio and Barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, and Pitogo.
Makati City asked the trial court to clarify and confirm the necessity of Taguig City first obtaining a writ of execution as well as the court determining the exact metes and bounds of Parcels 3 and 4 of PSU-2031 before the Supreme Court ruling can be implemented.
The Taguig City government earlier stated that jurisdiction over the Enlisted Men’s Barrios (EMBO) areas, previously part of Makati City, does not require a writ of execution.
Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano said the High Court’s decision was self-executing and required government agencies to voluntarily comply.