‘10 embo barangays part of Taguig for BSKE’

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ruled that the 10 enlisted men’s barrios or embo barangays previously under the jurisdiction of Makati will be part of Taguig for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

The Comelec has approved the recommendation of its law department that the embo barangays “can now be considered part of Taguig City for the BSKE,”which will be held on Oct. 30.

The poll body also ordered preparations for the transfer of the embo barangays to the local government of Taguig.

The Comelec directed its Information Technology Department to update the election records in the affected voting precincts.

The poll body likewise advised the Office of the Election Officer of Taguig to prepare a new Project of Precinct as well as a printed computerized voter list, and to constitute electoral boards for the clustered precincts of the 10 barangays.

According to the commission, Taguig must ensure the availability of polling centers for the voters of the barangays and coordinate with government agencies for the smooth transfer of election records.

The Comelec’s deputy executive director for operations should oversee the transfer of the registered voters.

The poll body instructed its law department to devise a way to legally deputize the Makati government to allow the use of its schools located in the embo barangays as voting centers.

With only a week before the openinbg of classes, a group of public and private schools called on the cities of Taguig and Makati to ensure a smooth transition of the disputed areas, saying the issue affects not only residents but also 30,000 students.

Benjo Basas, national chairman of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, asked both parties to respect the Supreme Court’s decision awarding the territories to Taguig, adding that the “welfare of students should be given paramount importance.”