In response to a recent social media post made by the city government of Taguig, Makati City Administrator Atty. Claro Certeza stressed that Makati's move to recall the ambulance previously assigned to Barangay Comembo follows the conditions stated in the Deed of Donation executed by the Department of Health (DOH) with Makati in September 2021 in yet another "word war" between the two local governments.

Makati City Administrator Atty. Claro Certeza 

“Contrary to a recent social media post of Taguig accusing us of summarily pulling out the ambulance from Barangay Comembo, we did it to make the necessary repairs and ensure its roadworthiness before we return it to the DOH, as stipulated in the Deed of Donation,” Certeza said in a statement Friday, February 23.

Certeza clarified that the ambulance was donated by the DOH to the city government of Makati and not to Barangay Comembo, under its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) saying that as early as August 2023, the city conducted a general inspection of the ambulance in Comembo (K1V 502 Hyundai Starex Grand 2) and promptly coordinated with the DOH HFEP supplier for needed repairs as it was still under warranty. 

“Taguig officials quoted in the said post appear to be clueless about the facts pertaining to the acquisition of the said ambulance. It was donated to the city government, so the rightful owner is Makati City,” Certeza said.

The administrator also slammed Taguig in its social media post that puts Makati in a "bad light."

“Halatang gusto niyo lang siraan ang Makati para mapagtakpan ang kakulangan ng Taguig para sa mga EMBOs. Please stop spreading lies and playing victim. Be sure to back your statements with concrete evidence to spare yourselves from embarrassment and ridicule (Obviously, you just want to destroy Makati to hide your lapses in the Embo barangays)," Certeza stressed.

The Makati official clarified that the city cannot directly hand over to Taguig the vehicle since it has to be returned first to the DOH with a formal Notice of Revocation.

"By virtue of the Supreme Court decision granting territorial jurisdiction over the EMBO barangays to Taguig, the ambulance has ceased to serve its purpose as far as Makati is concerned." he said adding that from January until early February this year, Makati City has been in constant communication with the DOH for the orderly return of the transport vehicle in Comembo.

Metro Manila Center for Health Development Dr. Rio Magpantay sent a letter dated February 5 to Makati City Mayor Abby Binay citing the stipulation in the DOH Deed of Donation which states “The donor reserves the right to revoke this Deed of Donation in case any of the aforesaid conditions are not faithfully complied with by the Donee. In case this Deed of Donation is revoked, the Donee shall surrender the possession of the equipment and ambulance to the Donor within fifteen (15) working days from the Notice of Revocation.”

Certeza explained that on November 29, 2023, the ambulance in Comembo was pulled out for battery replacement and then underwent a series of repair works until January of this year. These included tire change, change oil and repairs for the blinker, siren, odometer and speedometer, brake system, and rear back-up camera.

He noted that another ambulance deployed to Comembo was pulled out temporarily last January 24 for inventory and licensing purposes. It was one of four ambulances donated by the DOH to the city government through Ospital ng Makati in July 2021 as part of the fund allocation of second district Representative Luis Campos. Another ambulance was assigned to Rizal.

“After inspection and proper review of the said unit, it was returned to Comembo on February 8, and has remained deployed there to date,” Certeza said.

On the other hand, the official said the city has reassigned the ambulance from Rizal to Guadalupe Nuevo since the former is very near Ospital ng Makati and can utilize the ambulance in Comembo for medical emergencies.

“This decision was made out of necessity and prudence. Politics had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Word war

This isn't the first time the cities of Makati and Taguig were locked in a so called "word war" on the healthcare services of both cities following the Supreme Court's (SC) decision to place the 10 EMBO barangays consisting of Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Pitogo, Northside, Southside, and Rizal to Taguig's jurisdiction.

Last January 2, Makati slammed Taguig's response regarding its announcement on the closure of the health centers and lying-in clinics in the 10 EMBO barangays.

The city government had earlier announced that it would be closing its health centers and lying-in clinics located in the EMBO barangays after its licenses to operate expired.

"Matagal nang alam ng Taguig na magsasara ang health centers sa EMBO barangays bago pa man into i-anunsyo ng Makati. Matagal na ring alam ng Taguig na kailangan ng License to Operate para sa health centers sa EMBO. Ito ay ipinaalala pa sa kanila ng Metro Manila Center for Health Development ng Department of Health (DOH) sa isang sulat noong Nov. 21, 2023. Ano ng naging aksyon ng Taguig? WALA (Taguig City has prior knowledge that the EMBO barangays' health centers will be shut down even before Makati City announced it. They also known long before that the License to Operate is needed by the EMBO health centers which was reminded to them by the Metro Manila Center for Health Development of the Department of Health in a letter dated Nov. 21, 2023. But what did Taguig do about it? NONE)," Certeza said in a Viber message.

"Ngayon, pinalalabas ng Taguig na sila ay ginigipit ng Makati. Hindi ba ito katawa-tawa? At sino ngayon ang nagsasakripisyo sa buhay at kapakanan ng mga taga-EMBO para sa politikal na interes? Para sa kaalaman ng mga namamahala ng Taguig, ang License to Operate ay kailangan para sa health facilities na nagbibigay ng diagnostic services. Bukod sa konsultasyon, ang diagnostic services ay kasama sa mga serbisyong ibinibigay ng health centers ng Makati na nasa EMBO barangays. Malamang ay konsultasyon lang ang ibinibigay na serbisyo ng health centers ng Taguig kaya hindi nila alam na kailangan ng License to Operate (Now, Taguig is pretending that Makati is giving them a difficult time. Isn't that laughable? Now, who is the one sacrificing the lives and future of EMBO residents just for the sake of political interest? For Taguig's information, the License to Operate is needed for health facilities to provide diagnostic services. Aside from consultation, diagnostic services are included in the services being given by Makati health centers located in the EMBO barangays. Maybe Taguig's health centers can only provide consultations, hence their lack of knowledge that the License to Operate is needed)," he added.

Certeza explained Taguig has flatly refused all proposals coming from Makati to ensure uninterrupted access to health services in the EMBO barangays.

"Taguig refused to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Makati regarding the properties owned and managed by the city. It also refused to enter into a Data Sharing agreement. Instead, they continue to make the outrageous claim that they own the public facilities constructed by Makati and the land on which these facilities have been built. Uulitin lang namin para sa kapakapanan ng mga namamahala sa Taguig: ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema ay tungkol sa political jurisdiction. It is about political territory, not ownership (We would just like to remind the officials of Taguig that the Supreme Court's decision only covers political jurisdiction. It is about political territory, not ownership)," he explained.

The administrator stressed that Taguig’s "twisted" interpretation of the Supreme Court decision makes it appear that it not only owns the entire parcels 3 and 4 but all the land in the EMBO barangays, including those owned by private individuals.

"Mali po ito. Handa raw ang Taguig na magbigay ng health services sa mga taga-EMBO. Ngunit bakit teleconsult lang ang inaalok nila sa halip na magtayo ng sarili nitong health centers, gaya ng iminungkahi ng Makati? (This is wrong. They say Taguig can provide health services to EMBO residents, but why is it they can only offer teleconsultation instead of building their own health centers just like what Makati recommended?)," Certeza noted.

"The problem with Taguig is that it wants all the perks but none of the responsibilities. It’s about time for Taguig and its leadership to face their responsibilities and do their job. Panahon na para patunayan ng Taguig na karapat-dapat silang pagkatiwalaan ng mga mamamayan ng EMBO barangays (It's time for Taguig to prove that it deserves to be trusted by residents of EMBO barangays)," he stressed