MANILA — Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano has asked the Supreme Court to investigate allegedly false claims that Makati Mayor Abby Binay made over a case involving a territorial dispute between their respective cities.

In an extremely urgent manifestation with motion filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Cayetano urged the high court to “require petitioner City of Makati and Mayor Abigail Binay to show cause why they should not be sanctioned.”

Cayetano was reacting to statements made by Binay in a media interview where she supposedly claimed that Makati City received an order from the Supreme Court setting the case for oral arguments on the land dispute over the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation.

In a press release in April, the Supreme Court said it had ruled with finality that the entire Fort Andres Bonifacio, which includes Bonifacio Global City, and some enlisted men’s barangays (EMBO’s) belong to Taguig.

But in a recent interview, Binay claimed the ruling is not yet final as they allegedly received an order setting the case for hearing.

Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Keith Hosaka earlier clarified that he had “no information about an oral argument being set regarding this case.”

In the motion, the City of Taguig said it has not received a copy of the order. It also confirmed with the high court’s Third Division that there was no such order or resolution.

Instead, it cited an entry of judgment issued by the Supreme Court that the December 1, 2021 ruling in favor of Taguig became final and executory on September 28, 2022.

• It's final: Supreme Court says Taguig has jurisdiction over BGC

It also raised SC’s own rules which prohibit the filing of a second motion for reconsideration and which declares unappealable a resolution of a Supreme Court division denying a motion for referral to the SC en banc.

Makati had previously tried to have the case heard by the SC en banc and reiterated the same plea in its second motion for reconsideration, along with a request for the high court to hold oral arguments.

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But for Cayetano, Binay’s statements to the media seem to support a social media post allegedly from one of the barangays involved in the territorial dispute claiming that Binay allegedly spoke to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

“While such social media post could have been dismissed as nothing more than ‘fake news,’ an interview with Mayor Abigail Binay subsequently surfaced which echoed the same message that the fight is allegedly not yet over, and appeared to support and confirm the social media post on the supposed ‘reopening’ alluded to in the post above,” the motion said.

“Respondent City of Taguig is committed to defending the integrity and honor of the Honorable Court and judicial processes and does not believe in these claims. But that petitioner City of Makati can stoop so low in its tactics to force the hand of the Honorable Court at a resolution cannot be discounted. Petitioner City of Makati should not be allowed to continue its misconduct,” it said.

Speaking to reporters at the Supreme Court after the filing, Cayetano asserted there should be no doubt as to the ruling of the high court.

“Napakalinaw ng desisyon ng Korte Suprema at ito’y dapat igalang," she said.

"Final na ang decision ng Korte Suprema tungkol sa kasong ito at bilang mga responsableng mga opisyal ng aming mga respective local government units, katungkulan na namin na una, payapain ang kalooban ng aming mga kababayan dahil ang desisyon na ito, obviously, ay magdudulot ng maraming katanungan, agam-agam, pangamba lalo na sa mga barangay na dati ay sakop ng Makati,” she added.

(The Supreme Court decision is clear and must be respected. It is final, and as responsible local government officials we must appease our constituents, because the decisions create questions, fears, and doubts in the hearts of the people in barangays that used to be under Makati.)

“Gusto ko po ipahayag bilang mayor ng Taguig na wala sa aming intensiyon na may maantala na serbisyo publiko sa mga barangay na dati ay sakop ng Makati. Ang intensiyon po namin, actually, ay agarang pag-aralan na kung paano magsisimula sa transition dahil ultimately, kapakanan ng mga residente ang pinakamahalaga,” she added.

(As Taguig Mayor I would like to stress that we do not intend to hamper the delivery of basic services to barangays that were formerly under Makati. What we want to do, instead, is to study how we can start the transition right away. Ultimately, it is the people's welfare that is most important here.)

Cayetano said Taguig is ready to take over the concerned areas within the year.

MAKATI REACTS

In a statement, Makati City Administrator Atty. Claro Certeza scored the Taguig City government for relying on "social media posts with dubious authorship, accuracy and credibility" in bringing a "petition" before the Supreme Court.

“These social media posts invoked by Taguig have made outrageous and irresponsible allegations against the President, the First Lady and the Court itself. They have been ignored by credible media outlets and for good reason," he said.

"No right thinking lawyer would petition the High Court on the basis of these posts. Yet, Taguig, displaying unfathomable wisdom, has chosen to do so,” he added.

The Makati City government has yet to receive a copy of the filing.

Meanwhile, the statement said Binay is in London for the London Tech Week. She will also attend a garden reception at 10 Downing Street hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

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