Learn more about Fort Bonifacio, its origin and what it is today.
About Fort Bonifacio
Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Taguig City. The site has been an important piece of the history of Taguig.
 |
| Headquarters Philippine Army |
The camp is named after Andres Bonifacio, the revolutionary leader of the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution.
 |
| Ang Supremo - Andres Bonifacio monument in BGC |
It is located near Villamor Air Base, the national headquarters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
About Barangay Fort Bonifacio
Fort Bonifacio is one of the 28 barangays in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Barangay Fort Bonifacio was created as a barangay of Taguig by virtue of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Ordinance No. 68 Series of 2008 out of Barangay Western Bicutan.
 |
| Fort Bonifacio Barangay Hall |
It started to function on April 4, 2009, under the first appointed barangay officials with Armando Lopez as its first barangay captain and six barangay kagawads.
The financial district of Bonifacio Global City, the Fort Bonifacio military camp and the Manila American Cemetery are under the jurisdiction of the barangay.
History of Fort Bonifacio
Fort William McKinley, now Fort Bonifacio, was established during the Philippine–American War in 1901. The land is situated south of the Pasig River, down to the creek Alabang, in Manila. It was declared a U.S. military reservation by U.S. Secretary of War Elihu Root, expropriating the land owned by Captain Juan Gonzales without compensation.This expropriation was later challenged by then-President Ferdinand Marcos and the United States (US) agreed to compensate, through him, in trust deposits.
In 1916, the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment was formed here. Until December 1920, this was the home of the 31st Infantry Regiment. During World War II, the USAFFE headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division were at the fort. The bulk of the Philippine Division was stationed there and this was where, under the National Defense Act of 1935, specialized artillery training was conducted.
Postwar era
Psu-2031 depicting the extent of the Military Reservation of Fort Bonifacio (formerly Fort McKinley)
After Philippine independence on July 4, 1946, the US surrendered to the Republic of the Philippines all rights of possession, jurisdiction, supervision, and control over the Philippine territory except for the use of their military bases. On May 14, 1949, Fort McKinley was turned over to the Philippine government. The facility became the home of the Philippine Army and later the Philippine Navy and was renamed Fort Bonifacio. It lies in the present-day cities of Pasay, Parañaque, Pasig and Taguig, all former parts of the province of Rizal.
 |
| Manila American Cemetery in 2014 |
The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial was later established there.
Martial law
When President Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law in 1972, Fort Bonifacio became the host of three detention centers full of political prisoners - the Ipil Reception Center (sometimes called the Ipil Detention Center), a higher security facility called the Youth Rehabilitation Center (YRC), and the Maximum Security Unit where Senators Jose W. Diokno and Benigno Aquino Jr. were detained.
Ipil was the largest prison facility for political prisoners during martial law. Among the prisoners held there were some of the country's leading academics, creative writers, journalists, and historians including Butch Dalisay, Ricky Lee, Bienvenido Lumbera, Jo Ann Maglipon, Ninotchka Rosca, Zeus Salazar, and William Henry Scott. After Fort Bonifacio was privatized, the area in which Ipil was located became the area near S&R and MC Home Depot at 32nd Street and 8th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City.
The YRC was a higher security prison which housed prominent society figures and media personalities, supposed members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and some known criminals. Journalists imprisoned there included broadcaster Roger Arienda, Manila journalists Rolando Fadul and Bobby Ordoñez, and Bicolano journalist Manny de la Rosa. Society figures Tonypet and Enrique Araneta, Constitutional Commission delegate Manuel Martinez, poet Amado V. Hernandez, and Dr Nemesio Prudente, president of the Philippine College of Commerce (now the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, were all also imprisoned at the YRC. So were a number of Catholic priests including Fathers Max de Mesa and Fr Hagad from Jolo, and Jesuit Fr Hilario Lim.[6] The site of YRC was later used as the Makati City Jail.
Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and Senator Jose Diokno were Marcos' first martial law prisoners, arrested just before midnight on September 22, 1972, and at 1 AM on September 23, 1972, respectively. They were eventually imprisoned in Fort Bonifacio at the Maximum Security Unit separate from the YRC. They stayed there until Marcos moved them to an even higher security facility in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija on March 12, 1973. Diokno would remain in solitary confinement at Laur until September 11, 1974, while Aquino would stay in prison until May 5, 1980.
Creation of Bonifacio Global City
On March 19, 1992, President Corazon C. Aquino signed the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992 (RA 7227) into law, creating the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA, tasked with converting Military Bases into "integrated developments, dynamic business centers and vibrant communities."
On February 7, 1995, the BCDA and a consortium led by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation formed a joint venture called the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) for the purpise of developing 150 hectares of former Fort Bonifacio land. The private group bought a 55% stake in the FBDC for 30.4 billion pesos, while BCDA held on to the remaining 45% stake.
The FBDC's landmark project was conceived as Bonifacio Global City, a real estate development area meant to accommodate 250,000 residents and 500,000 daytime workers and visitors. The project was hampered by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, but moved forward when Ayala Land, Inc. and Evergreen Holdings, Inc. of the Campos Group purchased Metro Pacific's controlling stake in FBDC in 2003.
Land dispute
On December 9, 1937, the Deed of Absolute sale executed by the owner, Don Anacleto Madrigal Acopiado in favor of the American Government covering the area of 100 hectares (250 acres), portion of Bicutan, Taguig, annotated at the back of TCT No. 408. During the American Commonwealth, it was converted to a Military base, named Fort McKinley. It was during the presidency of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos' administration when Fort McKinley was renamed Fort Bonifacio and transferred to Makati. Taguig got the jurisdiction over Fort Bonifacio after winning the case against Makati in filed in the Pasig Regional Trial Court in 1993.
Makati appealed the ruling, but the Pasig RTC in 2011 still sided with Taguig, saying that Fort Bonifacio including the EMBO Barangays are all part of Taguig. Makati then asked the Court of Appeals to review the case. The Court of Appeals overturned the Pasig Regional Trial Court's decision and reverted jurisdiction of the BGC in favor of Makati.
As of date, Taguig has filed a Motion of Reconsideration at the Court of Appeals seeking to revert the decision. The Supreme Court then finally agreed with the Pasig RTC ruling on April 2022 and junked the motion for reconsideration that was filed by the Makati city government to override the court's earlier decision, siding with Taguig.
The newest Court of Appeals Resolution promulgated on October 3, 2017. In a 18-page resolution promulgated on March 8 penned by Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon and was concurred by Justices Ramon Cruz and Renato Francisco, the CA's Special Former Sixth Division granted Taguig's motion to dismiss citing Makati's violation of the forum shopping rule (or pursuing simultaneous remedies in two different courts) and accordingly dismissed the latter's appeal of the earlier decision of the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) which originally ruled in favor of Taguig.
The CA took notice of the Supreme Court's decision on June 15, 2016, which found Makati guilty of “willful and deliberate forum shopping.”
April 27, 2022 - The Supreme Court upheld the 2011 Pasig RTC ruling that declared that the 729 ha (7.29 km2) Bonifacio Global City complex, along with several surrounding barangays of Makati (Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, and Pitogo), was under the jurisdiction of the Taguig city government. However, Makati released a statement saying that it would continue exercising jurisdiction over areas it controlled until it received an official copy of the decision.
April 2023 - The Supreme Court junked the motion for reconsideration that was filed by Makati to override the court's earlier decision, siding with Taguig. The city government of Taguig released a statement "welcoming the new Taguigeños", referring to the residents of the affected Embo barangays, and saying that the Taguig LGU will start working on the transition and handover of the Embo barangays.
Makati Mayor Abby Binay claimed that the dispute is "not yet over", stating that her office has received a notice that the Supreme Court has set its case with Taguig for oral arguments.
June 29, 2023 - The SC rejected Makati's motion to file a second appeal, saying that it is generally prohibited under their rules. It also said its en banc "is not an appellate court" and will not entertain further pleadings in the case.
ALSO IN TAGUIG
IMPORTANT NOTE: ang Taguigeño blog ay hindi konektado sa anumang account ng Taguig City government. Ito ay nabuo upang maghatid ng napapanahong balita at impormasyon para sa lahat ng Taguigeño.
WHERE TO STAY IN TAGUIG:
TAGUIGENO IS NOW ON YOUTUBE!
taguig venice, taguig history, taguig bgc, taguig city barangays, taguig city hall, taguig city map, taguig tourist spot, taguig city hall phone number
Post a Comment