Mayor Lani decries excessive use of police force in Palar incident

What Gestapo tactics? Makati was ready to draw guns 

Mayor Lani Cayetano decried the manner by which the Makati police wrongfully asserted its authority upon Taguig City Hall employees who peacefully invited some officials from the Makati engineering office who were conducting survey in a barangay belonging to Taguig City.

“I am appalled by Makati’s show of force in Palar Village. We peacefully invited the Makati engineers for discussion, but the Makati police showed up and used an unnecessary amount of force to take them,” Mayor Lani said.

According to the Taguig Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), members of the Makati engineering office conducted surveys in the Taguig village without authority from Taguig City government or barangay officials last Thursday.

They were politely and courteously invited to the Taguig City Hall to discuss the matter and explain to them that they did not have authority to conduct land surveys in the area.

They were already in Taguig City vehicles when eight Makati police cars containing more than 30 policemen – including a squad of fully-armed Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) – arrived to forcibly take them from Taguig City employees.

Many members of the Makati police made threatening gestures to draw their firearms, as evidenced by photos taken by Taguig City employees while the incident was taking place.

The Makati policemen forcibly boarded the vehicles to take the Makati City engineers, which was an unnecessary use of force as the said employees were politely invited to the Taguig City Hall.

“We were unfairly described by Makati to have engaged in ‘Gestapo’ tactics, but who brought the guns to the otherwise peaceful incident? Taguig City employees were unarmed when they politely invited the engineers from Makati to our city hall. So we ask, what was all the unnecessary use of excessive force for?” said Mayor Lani.

She said the members of the Makati SWAT team were in full battle gear, with long firearms in tow.

“This is precisely what we are trying to avoid here when I appealed to Mayor Junjun Binay to refrain from undertaking acts that would only sow confusion and tension in Fort Bonifacio.”

She reiterated her call to Makati to just wait for the final ruling on the territorial dispute, saying that Taguig City will continue to exercise jurisdiction over the area.

Yesterday, Mayor Lani bared that there were operations undertaken by Makati police in areas in Fort Bonifacio that are still subject of court proceedings. The actions taken by Makati in posting signs in some disputed areas of its ordinance against the use of plastic were also mentioned by the lady mayor.

“All these actions, including announcements of the imposition of number coding in Fort Bonifacio and statements on collection of taxes, do not help any of our causes. Again, we appeal to Mayor Binay to wait for a final ruling on the territorial dispute,” she earlier said.

“Huwag po sana tayong magmadali at hinay-hinay lang po tayo sa ating mga aksyon.”

Mayor Lani reiterated that historically, legally and factually, Fort Bonifacio is part of Taguig and the local government will be fighting the CA decision on the dispute. ###