The Commission on Elections on Saturday approved the recommendation to implement the administrative transfer of 10 barangays in Makati City to Taguig in preparation for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in October.

In a memorandum dated August 19, 2023 released by the Office of the Comelec Secretary, the poll body approved the recommendation of its law department to prepare the barangay transfers for the upcoming elections “following the instructions of Comelec Chairman George Garcia and in view of the finality of the Supreme Court decision” which ended the 29-year old land row between the local government units and which ruled in favor of Taguig.

Detailing also its readiness to comply with the SC ruling, the memorandum took heed of the letter sent by City of Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano which formally informed the Comelec that national agencies have started to transfer the administrative jurisdiction of their regional offices from the City of Makati to the City of Taguig insofar as the ten barangays are concerned.

“Accordingly, and strictly pursuant to the Decision of the Supreme Court…, it is this Department’s opinion that the barangays situated in Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031 can now be considered as part of Taguig City for purposes of the 2023 Barangays and SK Elections,” the memorandum said.

“Resolved further, to approve recommendatory actions on the Commission’s preparation for the implementation of the administrative transfer of the ten (10) barangays in Makati City to Taguig City,” it added.

Apart from specific directives to at least 10 departments to assist in the technical and administrative handover from Makati to Taguig, what stood out in the memorandum are the crucial roles of the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) for the smooth and peaceful transfer of records of voters and electoral precincts in the two LGUs.

Among the directives it gave the 2nd District Office of the Election Officer (OEO) of Makati City are the preparation of new Project of Precinct (POP) for the remaining barangay, new list of qualified Electoral Boards, and new Printed Computerized Voters List (PCVL) and Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL).

The City of Taguig’s OEO is likewise tasked with extensive preparation of two new POP to include the 10 barangays, constitution of EBs for the clustered precincts in the ten barangays, and to notify the affected voters of the changes in the records and other such pertinent information.

Taguig’s OEO is also recommended to coordinate with the Philippine National Police, Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, and other government agencies for the security preparations and implementation of the transfer.