Early history Parts of the Embo area were formerly known as Mamancat, Masilang, San Nicolás, and Malapadnabato, all 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 Nicolás, which comprises the present-day western portion of West Rembo, is the location of the
Ermita de San Nicolás de Tolentino established in 1686, and is believed to be first settled by Chinese traders.
Establishment of EMBO settlements At the end of the
Philippine–American War, the
United States colonial administration established
Fort William McKinley at the center of present-day
Metro Manila. During
World War II, the military reservation served as headquarters for the
United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) until the
Imperial Japanese military takeover. After the end of the war, the Philippines would be granted full independence in July 1946 by the
United States, which retained control over military bases in the country until 1991. Fort McKinley would only be turned over to the Philippine government in 1949. The reservation was renamed Fort Bonifacio and the government made plans to create settlements for military personnel within the vicinity of the installation. 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, then-Commanding General of Fort Bonifacio. In 1956, two more settlements would be authorized: In 1957, Comembo, in the site formerly known as Mamancat, would be settled by personnel from the Combat Engineering Group of the Philippine Army. 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 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 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 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. To comply with the Supreme Court's decision, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government released a memo dated October 26, 2023 transferring the control of the Embo barangays from Makati to Taguig. On June 28, 2024, the
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) formally listed the Embo barangays to be under Taguig, thereby making them eligible to vote in the
2025 Taguig local elections, for mayor, vice mayor, and city council, but initially not for the congressman (district representative) position. Due to the
disenfranchisement of Embo residents, the
Taguig City Council passed Ordinance No. 144 on September 16, 2024, reallocating the barangays between Taguig’s two existing legislative districts. This process was followed by Senate and House Concurrent Resolutions and COMELEC Resolution No. 11069 dated September 25, officially allowing Embo residents vote for a congressman for Taguig. In September 2024, the
Department of Justice stated in a legal opinion that buildings and structures located in the EMBOs that were previously under control of
Makati are under the jurisdiction of
Taguig. The Justice Department gave its opinion in response to a query from Department of Health Secretary
Teodoro Herbosa, who sought to determine whether the Supreme Court‘s 2023 ruling also transferred ownership of the buildings in the Embo barangays to Taguig. On May 5, 2025, the Regional Trial Court of Taguig issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) directing the City of Makati to immediately cease obstructing the City of Taguig's access to and exclusive full possession of EMBO public properties which covers health centers, covered courts, multi-purpose buildings, parks and other government properties covered by Proclamation Nos. 518 and 1916. The TRO effectively grants ownership of the public facilities to the City of Taguig and was in-effect for 72 hours. The courts granted a 17-day extension of the TRO on May 9. Later on, the RTC granted Taguig's prayer for preliminary injunction, which effectively retains Taguig's possession of the facilities for the continued public services for the Embo barangays. ==Barangays==