Binay: Taguig should create more courts

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano should ask the city’s lawmakers to file an urgent bill that would create additional courts to handle the cases from the enlisted men’s barrios or “embo” that are now under its jurisdiction, Makati Mayor Abby Binay said yesterday.

Binay made the statement after the Supreme Court earlier issued a resolution, ordering seven regional trial courts and four metropolitan courts of Makati to assist Taguig in handling court cases.

“Mayor Lani Cayetano should get the ball rolling and urge Taguig lawmakers to file an urgent bill, proposing the creation of more courts that will absorb the additional caseload resulting from the transfer of 10 barangays to Taguig,” Binay said in a statement.

“Taguig has the budget, and they said they are ready to take over. How come they are not taking action?” she added.

According to Binay, the SC resolution was a temporary solution to aid the transfer of juridical jurisdiction from Makati to Taguig.

She noted that the arrangement will “doubly burden” the designated Makati courts due to heavier caseloads and paperwork.

“As such, it is incumbent upon the mayor of Taguig to see to it that lawmakers – her husband and her sister-in-law in the Senate – will take urgent action by filing a bill creating additional courts and actively pushing for its enactment,” Binay said.

Mobile health center

Meanwhile, the city government of Taguig rolled out its health caravan in Barangay Cembo, which was previously under Makati’s jurisdiction.

More than 2,000 residents from Barangay Cembo availed themselves of medical, dental and laboratory services.

Taguig’s Love Caravan was brought to Barangay Cembo following the closure of Makati’s health centers in the embo barangays.

Fire stations reopen

Taguig also reopened the fire stations in the embo barangays on Jan. 5.

According to the local government, the Bureau of Fire Protection will temporarily supervise the facilities.

The fire stations, which were closed for several days, reopened following the intervention of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.