23/05/2025
*Court Grants Taguig Preliminary Injunction to Continue Services in EMBO Facilities*
Following the Regional Trial Court’s extension of a temporary restraining order (TRO) that allowed Taguig to regain access to facilities in the EMBO barangays, the RTC of Taguig Branch 153 has granted a writ of preliminary injunction in favor of the city, allowing it to retain control of the EMBO facilities and continue providing basic services like healthcare, wellness, and recreation to residents.
In a 7-page ruling issued on May 22, 2025, Presiding Judge Mariam G. Bien barred Makati and its representatives from restricting access to government properties—including health centers, covered courts, daycare centers, and other essential facilities. The court ruling enables Taguig to continue operating these facilities and delivering basic services, consistent with the 2021 Supreme Court decision that conclusively declared the EMBO barangays as part of Taguig’s jurisdiction. The writ will remain effective while the trial to determine which city has the better right of possession to the facilities continues.
The preliminary injunction follows an earlier 17-day extension of the TRO issued by RTC Branch 163 on May 8, which highlighted the urgency of preventing the delivery of basic services in the area.
During the hearing on May 2025, Taguig put on the witness stand barangay captains and residents from the EMBOs who testified that Makati had closed public health centers, depriving residents—particularly senior citizens—of access to vital services. The court noted that the prolonged denial of basic services posed “grave injustice and irreparable injury” to the residents of the EMBO communities. The witnesses further testified that the health centers and other public facilities have been opened since May 6 by virtue of the TRO, and that Taguig has resumed medical services in the health centers while allowing residents the use and enjoyment of other public facilities like parks and recreation centers.
The court reiterated that the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction does not decide the main case but serves as a provisional remedy to prevent further harm while litigation is ongoing. To protect Makati’s rights should it turn out that the writ of preliminary injunction may have been improperly issued, Taguig is directed to post a P50 Million on top of the P20 Million bond it had previously posted.
Since the reopening of facilities, Taguig has resumed full operations of local health centers, ensuring that residents can access medical services within their barangays. Public spaces—including parks, covered courts, multipurpose buildings, and the People’s Park in West Rembo and Cembo, which had long been closed to residents—are now open to the public.
Mayor Lani Cayetano welcomed the court’s decision, describing it as a victory not just for the city, but for every EMBO resident who had long been deprived of essential services:
“Lubos po naming ikinagagalak ang desisyong ito ng korte. Sa pamamagitan ng preliminary injunction, tuloy-tuloy na ang pagbabalik ng serbisyo sa mga taga-EMBO. Mula sa check-up ng mga buntis, bakuna ng mga bata, gamot ng mga senior, hanggang sa sports at wellnes activities sa mga courts at parke—bawat isa ay may karapatang makinabang.”
She reiterated that Taguig will always prioritize its people over politics.
“Ito ay tagumpay ng bawat residente sa EMBO barangays. Patuloy po naming ipaglalaban ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan dahil sa Taguig, sila po ang palagi naming inuuna.”
