“Sana makaboto ang tao, sana lahat may representative, sana maganda future natin.”
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday advocated for the right of the EMBO barangays to vote for a representative in Congress, saying the residents there should not be left without a representative.
“It’s so heartwarming to see all of you here together with one direction and one goal na sana lahat ng tao makaboto at lahat ay may representative, at sana maganda future natin,” Cayetano said as he joined barangay and city-level officials of Taguig in a meeting on September 13, 2024 to discuss the inclusion of the EMBO barangays in the legislative districts of the city.
“The reality is it’s been a hard battle for everyone. We want better, we want best,” he added.
As of writing, the 10 EMBO barangays, which the Supreme Court has ruled with finality as part of Taguig, have yet to be assigned to a legislative district because the decision itself did not address to which district they would now belong, leaving the barangays in a state of uncertainty.
The lack of particularity in the SC decision has made it unclear whether the EMBO citizens must vote for their Representative under the Taguig-Pateros’ first district or the second district of Taguig, putting their constitutional right to vote and run for a Congressional seat on the line.
The filing of candidacy for the 2025 elections starts on October 1, 2024.
“Ang sabi ng Comelec, walang problema, makakaboto kayo sa council, mayor, vice mayor, pero hindi kayo makakaboto sa congressman. Doon lumitaw ang problema,” Cayetano explained.
Acknowledging the complexity of the problem, the Senator said EMBO residents’ constitutional rights to vote and run for office, if they so wish, must not be denied, otherwise they would be disenfranchised as voters.
He said the “fairer” way to ensure that the EMBO citizens’ rights are upheld is to include them under a Taguig district, as retaining them under the second district of Makati is not legally possible due to the SC decision.
“Kailangan ang tao may tiwala sa gobyerno. And wala kang tiwala kung wala kang participation,” he said.
The local leaders of Taguig are considering options including the creation of a third district or the distribution of the 10 barangays among the two existing districts, but this must be done with the consensus of the EMBO barangays.
“Whatever you decide, let’s make sure of three things: one, that every single Taguigeño can buy into a vision for Taguig; second, that people can vote; and third, that people can run [for office],” he told them.
“Kung sino man ang tatakbo, they will present their vision, pero it has to be a vision for Taguig, not for Lower Taguig, Upper Taguig, or EMBO. Sa Taguig, iisa lang tayo,” he added.
