NCRPO: Taguig police maintains jurisdiction over Fort Boni

Says NO to Binay’s plea

 In yet another blow to Makati’s bid to take over Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila’s top cop has formally ordered both the Taguig and Makati police units to maintain the “status quo” in the disputed area until a final court decision on the case is reached.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Director C/Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr. has effectively rejected the request made by Makati Mayor Junjun Binay to place Fort Bonifacio under the Makati police by issuing a directive saying that the Taguig police should still exercise jurisdiction over the disputed areas.

The NCRPO chief’s directive is in consonance with the statement released by Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano that the status quo remains in the area, including Bonifacio Global City (BGC), as the Court of Appeals’ July 30 ruling in favor of Makati is not yet final.

The Chief of Police of the Taguig City Police Station, Sr. Superintendent Arthur Felix Asis, said he received the NCRPO’s chief directive and welcomed the order to maintain the status quo.

“At least ngayon malinaw na ang lahat. Umaasa akong wala nang magiging kalituhan. Dahil sa kautusan, ang pagpapatrolya at ang traffic management sa BGC ay mananatili sa poder ng Taguig.”

The local government of Taguig earlier announced that it has already filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the CA, which it said stays the execution of the decision.

A large part of Taguig’s budget comes from taxes earned from the booming business environment of BGC which, in turn, is being used to fund social services for its constituents.

The local government funds the education of 20,000 scholars under the city’s P300-million scholarship program; some 10,000 college students study for free at the city’s university, more than 100,000 daycare to high school students receive free ready-to-wear uniforms, bags, shoes and school supplies.

Also, Taguig provides maintenance medicines for its sick constituents, along with wheelchairs, canes and crutches for the people who need it.

In several occasions, Mayor Lani has called on Binay to temper his statements on the territorial dispute and to wait for a final ruling on the matter.

“So let’s all be responsible and not confuse the residents and business community and sow tension amongst our own people. Let’s be responsible enough to take care of our constituents and their safety,” Mayor Lani said.

She likewise lamented Makati’s efforts to create tension when the latter sent its traffic arm MAPSA to the disputed territory apparently to make its presence felt in the area which is still under Taguig’s jurisdiction.

“Such actions are irresponsible, unprofessional, and unproductive as they only create tension between employees of the two local governments. Let’s be more mindful of the safety of our people,” Mayor Lani pointed out. ###