Taguig extends scholarships to EMBO barangays

MANILA, Philippines – The Taguig City government has started to offer scholarships to residents of barangays which used to be under Makati City, following the Supreme Court ruling on the land dispute case.

In its April 2022 decision, the Supreme Court’s Third Division ruled that the disputed areas of Bonifacio Global City and Enlisted Men’s Barangays (EMBOs) are part of Taguig’s territory.

Recognizing this High Court’s decision, Taguig City announced on Monday, July 10, that they are gradually striving to extend its programs to the residents of the following barangays:

• Cembo
• Comembo
• Pembo
• East Rembo
• West Rembo
• South Cembo
• Pitogo
• Post Proper Northside
• Post Proper Southside
• Rizal

To kickstart this initiative, Taguig City introduced the Lifeline Assistance for Neighbors In-need scholarship program to the residents of these barangays.

This scholarship is open to all senior high school graduates who aspire to pursue college or technical-vocational education, whether in public or private universities.

Taguig said that every senior high school graduate in the city is a scholar. They are eligible to receive scholarships ranging from P15,000 to P50,000 per semester, depending on the type of scholarship they qualify for.

In the announcement on social media, Taguig mentioned several educational institutions located in the previously contested barangays, including the Makati government-funded University of Makati.

The Makati government also offers a college scholarship program for bona fide residents of Makati (at least five years before application). The scholarship ranges from P20,000 to P80,000 per school year.

Unlike in Taguig where every senior high school graduate is qualified to be a scholar, the scholarship applicant in Makati must be part of the top 10% of the graduating class of the senior high school and willing to serve the city for at least two years.

Upon checking Makati’s online scholarship form on Monday, the barangays were still listed as options in the dropdown menu of the Google form.

More than a year after the High Court’s final ruling, the transition of territory between Makati and Taguig has seen minimal progress.

Last June 13, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said that since the promulgation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, they have yet to discuss with Makati the transition of the then-disputed territory. She, however, said they were open to dialogue with Makati.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. also said that they have yet to receive the writ of execution from the Supreme Court on the Makati-Taguig territorial dispute case. Abalos said this was the reason why they could not facilitate the transition. – Rappler.com