Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, the husband of Mayor Lani Cayetano, has joined the ongoing dispute between Taguig and Makati, and blasted the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for closing fire stations in EMBO (enlisted men’s barrio) barangays.
Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano (left) and her husband, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (Photo from Mayor Cayetano's Facebook page, screenshot from Senator Cayetano's Facebook video)
The Supreme Court issued a decision last year, transferring the jurisdiction of 10 EMBO barangays from Makati to Taguig.
The Taguig City government earlier criticized the Makati City government for closing health centers in EMBO barangays.
On Jan. 5, Senator Cayetano vowed to investigate the BFP in the Senate for closing fire stations in the EMBO areas.
In a Facebook live video, he said that people in the EMBO barangays have been “put in grave danger” since Christmas Eve up to the present because the fire stations were locked up.
“Napakadelikado na nangyari na inabandona ng Bureau of Fire ang mga fire station sa EMBO barangays (It is very dangerous that the Bureau of Fire abandoned the fire stations in EMBO barangays),” he said.
He added, “I am very, very disgusted and very, very upset with the Bureau of Fire, and I promise all of you, I will get to the bottom of this. Hindi pa tapos itong isyu na ito (This issue has yet to end).”
He said he and Lani were invited to Barangays West Rembo and Comembo on Jan. 1 to have a boodle fight with the police. Cayetano said in the same compound, the fire station was padlocked.
The senator said on Jan. 2, he called the BFP director to ask him about what was happening about the fire stations in EMBO barangays.
He said the director promised him that on the same day, the fire station would be opened and personnel would report to work.
But when he checked in the morning of Jan. 5, the fire station was still padlocked.
The senator said BFP personnel of Makati left their posts and padlocked the fire station before the Taguig fire station personnel arrived.