MANILA, Philippines — After losing 10 barangays of Makati to Taguig, Mayor Abby Binay said yesterday she may run for Taguig’s top post as she distributed school supplies to students in the contested area.
Asked if she had plans to run as mayor of Taguig in the 2025 elections, Binay said it is an “option,” but she has not decided yet because “it will be a difficult decision to make.”
“The task of running as Taguig mayor will be difficult as I am not familiar with the place. Although we will be able to give many good programs and projects for the city,” she said in Filipino.
Binay distributed the school supplies after the Department of Education (DepEd) gave the city government of Makati the green light to distribute free school supplies to students in the 14 public elementary and high schools in 10 barangays that are now under the jurisdiction of Taguig.
DepEd also permitted the use of school facilities in the distribution of supplies to over 45,000 students in the enlisted men’s barrio or “embo” barangays.
Binay said even though they had been given permission to distribute supplies as early as Aug. 18, they waited for the written confirmation.
“I preferred to wait for the documents that we have the permission to distribute school supplies,” she said in an interview in Pembo Elementary School, where she led the distribution.
The free supplies, which will be given to students from kindergarten to Grade 6, including special education students, include uniforms, bags, anti-dengue kits, shoes, socks, notebooks, ballpens and pencils.
Binay revealed that Taguig had a “last-minute” attempt to block the distribution of supplies as they asked for a written authority for the activity.
“They did not know that we were able to secure a written authority,” Binay said, noting that when Taguig held Brigada Eskwela activities in the past week, Makati did not ask for any written authority.
Binay said the schools “are not war zones. We should isolate our students and our teachers from the dispute between Taguig and Makati.”
She also belied Taguig’s claims that Makati has not yet provided the list of beneficiaries, saying the city government gave the list to DepEd as early as Aug. 1.
Lease eyed
Binay said Makati is willing to lease the city government’s properties located in “embo” barangays except for the school buildings of Makati Science High School, Fort Bonifacio Elementary School and Fort Bonifacio High School.
She said the inventory of Makati’s assets in the disputed areas is ongoing.
For the lease, the value would be determined by a third party as validated by the Commission on Audit, Binay said.