(Video from PTV 4)
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia stated that new Taguig residents from the EMBO barangays will only be able to vote for Senators, Party-List Representatives, Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council, and Barangay officials.
(File Photo of Taguig PIO)
"Remember, you have already voted in the Barangay and SK Elections of Taguig because you are now part of Taguig based on the Supreme Court's decision. However, in the 2025 election, you will not be able to vote for the position of congressman because it is currently unknown to Comelec in which of the two districts of Taguig you belong," said Garcia.
Garcia further explained that Comelec has no authority to arbitrarily place the 10 EMBO barangays in either of the two districts of Taguig City.
"The power to decide which barangays belong to which district lies with Congress. When they created the law that Taguig has a first and second district, it is enumerated there which barangays are included," Garcia added.
Garcia mentioned that a similar approach was taken with the 63 barangays in Bangsamoro.
However, if a new law is passed dissolving the second district of Makati, formerly voted for by the EMBO barangays, and creating a third district in Taguig, Garcia indicated that they would prepare new ballots for this change.
The voters from the EMBO barangays affected by this situation are the residents of Barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Rizal, Northside, and Southside.
In April 2023, the Supreme Court decided to transfer the 10 EMBO barangays from Makati City to Taguig City as the latter was deemed to have the rights to the 729-hectare Bonifacio Global City, displacing the 10 barangays from Makati's second district.
