Makati eyes suit vs cops over BGC turnover

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government on Wednesday  said it would be filing contempt charges against officials of the National Capital Region Police Office led by its director, Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr. over the latter's  alleged refusal to comply with the Court of Appeals ruling returning to Makati and the Makati Police, jurisdiction over the Inner Fort area which includes the Bonifacio Global City (BGC)

“We will bring them to court. The NCRPO is duty-bound to enforce the decision of the Court of Appeals. Their refusal to do so can be seen as open defiance of the court,” Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay said.

“The decision is clear. The injunction order has been lifted. Makati can now resume exercising jurisdiction. This is something that law enforcers know and there should be no second guessing here,” he added.

Media reports quoted NCRPO deputy director for administration Chief Supt. Pat Hernandez as saying that Fort Bonifacio, including BGC, will remain under the control of the Taguig City Police.

NCRPO spokesperson Chief Insp. Robert Domingo reportedly confirmed the announcement, stating that pending directives from higher headquarters, they will observe the status quo.

On Tuesday, Makati called on Taguig to respect the rule of law and comply with the CA ruling, maintaining that it was “immediately executory” regardless of the filing of a motion for reconsideration by Taguig with the appellate court.

In a statement, Atty. Eleno Mendoza, Makati city administrator, advised Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano to consult better lawyers, stating that “unless restrained by the courts, the lifting of the injunction order is immediately executory.”

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano meanwhile countered that the motion of reconsideration Taguig had filed last Thursday before the Court of Appeals (CA) stays the execution of the appelate court's July 30 decision awarding jurisdiction over the Fort Bonifacio area to Makati City.

Cayetano also appealed to Makati to respect the rule of law on the matter and wait for a final resolution on the case before undertaking any action or issuing any statement that will only sow confusion and tension in the disputed territory.

“With the filing of MR, we again would like to clarify that status quo prevails in Fort Bonifacio. Taguig will continue to exercise jurisdiction over Fort Bonifacio. I assure all our constituents in the area, including the business community in Bonifacio Global City, that the local government is on top of the situation,” Cayetano said.

According to Taguig’s legal department, jurisprudence and the rules of procedure in the country’s justice system all say that the filing of a motion for reconsideration suspends the execution of a court decision.

“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,” Cayetano said. - Mike Frialde