Embo (barangays)

Embo (sometimes stylized in all caps), which stands for Enlisted Men's Barrio, refers to a collective term for ten  barangays in Taguig, Philippines. The barangays were originally established to house military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The area was formerly disputed between the cities of Makati and Taguig, as well as the municipality of Pateros. As of November 2023, the barangays were transferred from Makati to Taguig.

Etymology
The collective for the Embo barangays were derived from enlisted men's barrios (EMBOs), as the area is originally a settlement for enlisted men serving in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Early history
Part of the Embo area was formerly known as Mamancat, Masilang, San Nicolas, and Malapadnabato, respectively, all originally part of Pateros. Mamancat was known as a trading hub alongside its more developed neighbor, Aguho (now Barangay Agujo, Pateros) during the Spanish colonial era. San Nicolas, which comprises the present-day western portion of West Rembo, is the location of the Ermita de San Nicolas de Tolentino that was established in 1686 and is believed to be first settled by Chinese traders. Malapad-na-bato used to be linked to Pasig via an old bridge. Masilang comprises the present-day South Cembo. Malapadnabato and Masilang later became part of San Pedro Macati (now Makati), while Malapad-na-bato later became part of Pasig.

Establishment of EMBO settlements
At the end of the Philippine–American War, the United States colonial administration established the Fort William McKinley at the center of present-day Metro Manila. During World War II, the military reservation would be used as the headquarters of the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) until the Imperial Japanese military took over it. After the conclusion of the war, the Philippines would be granted full independence by the United States in 1946 but retained control over its military bases.

Fort McKinley would only be turned over to the Philippine government in 1949. The reservation was renamed as Fort Bonifacio and the government made plans to create settlements for military personnel within the vicinity of the installation.

Cembo would be the first settlements among the EMBO barangays to be established, when the first batch of enlisted servicemen from the Infantry Group, Philippine Ground Force from Floridablanca, Pampanga arriving in 1949 to settle in the area. In 1954, East Rembo was established as settlements for Fort Bonifacio-based enlisted men serving in the armed forces upon the authorization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines through the office of General Alfonso Arellano, the Commanding General of Fort Bonifacio.

In 1956, two more settlements would be authorized: West Rembo and Pitogo. In 1957, Comembo, in the site formerly known as Mamancat, would be settled by personnel from the Combat Engineering Group of the Philippine Army. In the same year, the area was reserved for military use.

On October 27, 1965, the area was declared "open to disposition under certain provisions" through Proclamation No. 481, which was issued by President Diosdado Macapagal. Pembo would be established to for personnel of the First Ranger Regiment, who were also known as the Panthers. In 1966, Cembo Annex was separated from Cembo proper and was renamed South Cembo.

On December 11, 1972, two barangays inside the Fort Bonifacio military reservation were established, namely: Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside.

Transfer to Makati
On January 7, 1986, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Proclamation No. 2475, which transferred control of the Fort Bonifacio area to the municipal government of Makati and reserved the area for military personnel and their dependents. In 1990, President Corazon Aquino issued Proclamation No. 518 to award land titles in the EMBO area to bona fide occupants.

In February 1996, a new barangay named Rizal was created from Pembo through Makati City Ordinance No. 96-010. It was later ratified through a plebiscite held on June 29, 1996. Prior to the creation of Rizal, Pembo was larger than the municipality of Pateros, with a land area of 123 ha and a population of 65,000 in 1995.

The Fort Bonifacio area and the Embo barangays would be subject of a territorial dispute between the city governments of Taguig and Makati. Taguig filed the case in 1993. In 2022, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that Makati should stop exercising jurisdiction over the Embo barangays although the Makati city government has maintained that will continue to do so until it exhausts all legal remedies and Taguig secures a writ of execution from the Supreme Court.

Transfer to Taguig


In April 2023, the Supreme Court of the Philippines has junked the motion for reconsideration that was filed by the City Government of Makati to override the court's earlier decision, siding with Taguig. The Taguig city government has released a statement "welcoming the new Taguigeños", referring to the residents of the affected Embo barangays, and that they would start working on the transition and handover of the Embo barangays. On the dispositive portion of the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruling on December 1, 2021, it reinstated the Writ of Preliminary Injunction dated August 2, 1994 issued by the RTC of Pasig, explicitly referring to Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031, comprising Fort Bonifacio, be made permanent insofar as it enjoined the Municipality, now City of Makati, from exercising jurisdiction over, making improvements on, or otherwise treating as part of its territory, Parcels 3 and 4, Psu-2031, comprising Fort Bonifacio. However, the Court did not rule on the ownership of the facilities, including schools and health centers, that were built with Makati funds. The property had been awarded to Makati by the national government through Proclamation No. 1916, which was signed on October 14, 2009.

On November 8, 2023, the Department of the Interior and Local Government released a memo dated October 26, 2023 transferring the control of the Embo barangays to Taguig.

Subdivisions
The Embo barangays are constituted as subdivisions of the city of Taguig. These barangays, however, remain part of Makati's 2nd congressional district. Barangays Post Proper Northside, Post Proper Southside, Pitogo, and Rizal are also grouped with other barangays with "Embo" in its name.

Education
West Rembo in particular was designated by the local government of Makati as the city's Center of Education and Cultural Affairs. It is the site of Makati's public university, University of Makati. 14 public elementary and secondary schools, now under the administration of the Department of Education's Schools Division Office of Taguig City and Pateros since January 2024, are also based in the Embo barangays. Those schools are as follows:
 * Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino High School (Comembo)
 * Cembo Elementary School (Cembo)
 * Comembo Elementary School (Comembo)
 * East Rembo Elementary School (East Rembo)
 * Fort Bonifacio Elementary School (West Rembo)
 * Fort Bonifacio High School (West Rembo)
 * Makati Science High School (Cembo)
 * Pembo Elementary School (Pembo)
 * Pitogo Elementary School (Pitogo)
 * Pitogo High School (Pitogo)
 * Rizal Elementary School (Rizal)
 * South Cembo Elementary School (South Cembo)
 * Tibagan High School (East Rembo)
 * West Rembo Elementary School (West Rembo)

Most of Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside overlap territories controlled by barangays Fort Bonifacio and Pinagsama, which are home to educational institutions. Fort Bonifacio is home to private institutions, including international schools and the satellite campuses of De La Salle University and University of the Philippines, in Bonifacio Global City, while Pinagsama is home to Enderun Colleges and MINT College in McKinley Hill and Palar Integrated School, a public school already under the jurisdiction of Taguig.

Religion
The predominantly Roman Catholic population in the Embo barangays, particularly the areas previously controlled by Makati, is served by five parishes under the Archdiocese of Manila. Conversely, the areas already under the control of Taguig, even before the transfer of Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside to the city, including the Bonifacio Global City and parts of the Bonifacio Capital District, fall under the Diocese of Pasig.

The Mater Dolorosa Parish of the Amigonian Fathers and Brothers in East Rembo was established on September 8, 1987 through a decree by Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin. It originally covered the barangays of Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, Comembo, and Pembo. Cembo would later be transferred to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. The Saint John of the Cross Parish would be established for Pembo on August 9, 1991. On June 18, 1992, the Santa Teresita would be established in West Rembo. In 1998, a standalone parish for Comembo was proposed and was realized within the span of two years. The Military Ordinariate of the Philippines also has jurisdiction over the Philippine Army headquarters once claimed by Post Proper Southside and formerly the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Bonifacio Global City, which is previously a military reservation.

The Pembo locale of Iglesia ni Cristo is located at Barangay Rizal. The headquarters of Victory, an Evangelical Christian church, is located in Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, particularly in the area overlapping the Post Proper Northside. Churches of Baptists and Members Church of God International are also found in the Embo barangays.