Barangay Comembo, Makati City

INTRODUCTION

Barangay Comembo belongs to the Makati City's second district and is located at the Southeastern of Makati and Northeastern part of Fort Bonifacio. It is part of Cluster 5 or the Eastside Cluster along with East Rembo, Pembo and Rizal.

 

Based on the 2010 Census of Population conducted by the National Statistics Office, Comembo has a total of 14,433 population and percentage share of 1.13% versus the city’s population with an estimate of 2,887 households. By population density on the other hand, considering  its land area and population count, the barangay has 47 per 1,000 square meters. Comembo is generally a residential area except for strips of Commercial areas along the J.P. Rizal Extension, Anahaw and Sampaguita Streets. 

 

 

HISTORY

The area now known as Comembo was formerly Mamancat. Even before the coming of the Spanish colonizers, Mamancat was already a vibrant settlement teeming with various economic activities. As its name suggests, Mamancat – from the Tagalog root word ancat – means import, a central place where good commodities were acquired, purchased or bartered. This activity complemented the role played by its more prosperous neighbour, Aguho (now Pateros) known also during the Spanish time as embarcadero or a place for embarkation. It is an area where goods by foreign merchants coming from as far as India, China and the Middle East were brought and bartered for native goods and commodities.  For more than a hundred years, Mamancat was under the wings of power of Pateros. Its inhabitants continued cultivating is fertile soil. The river, aside from supplying them with food was also used as their highway to transport their produce, animals and people going to and from other barangays. It served also as their sources of potable water used for drinking, cooking and bathing.

Mamancat was then a part of Meysapan (old name of Makati), a larger settlement, whose forests and mountain vastness served as hunting grounds for games, fowls, wild plants, fruits and vegetables necessary for the needs of its inhabitants.

When the Second World War broke out, Mamancat was totally abandoned by its inhabitants for fear of being hit by cross forces between the Japanese Imperial Army and the American-Filipino forces combined. Fort William McKinley was an important target for the invading Japanese forces because of its strategic location.

To maintain its presence in the Philippines, the American Colonial Government established military camps in the different parts of the country. It bought four big parcels of real estate from a wealthy landowner totalling 850 hectares which lies within the territorial boundaries of Pateros. To the detriment of Mamancat folks, their untitled farmlands were included in the deal. From then on, Mamancat was separated from Pateros and became part of a military reservation called Fort William McKinley.

Due to the continued pressure of the insurrectos in the rural areas, the American authorities secured the camp by enjoining all inhabitants to leave the area except for an American caretaker and some Filipino helpers who maintain the place.

After the War, the American colonial government transferred to the Filipino people the ownership of the camp. It was renamed Kuta Bonifacio to perpetuate the legacy of the founder of the Katipunan, Supremo Andres Bonifacio. Not too long, the Philippine Ground Force (PGF) of the Philippine Army from Fernando Basa Airbase, Floridablanca, Pampanga occupied some portions of the Camp to serve their housing needs. The first barrio within the military camp was organized and named Central Enlisted Men’s Barrio or CEMBO for short.

In 1956, another unit from the Infantry Training Group (ITG) and the Artillery Training Group (ATG) occupied the area along Pasig River and Pateros River up to the boundary of the old settlement of Mamancat. Two barrios were created for these new settlers and were called West Riverside Enlisted Men’s Barrio (WEST REMBO). The following year, a pioneering unit from 501st Combat Engineering Group of the Philippine Army developed and settled in this area of the old Mamancat to honor the officers and men of the Combat Engineering Group, and gave birth to Combat Enlisted Men’s Barrio. From then up to the present, the official name of the Barangay is COMEMBO.

From 1958 to 1982, the Barangay Captains of Barangay Comembo were appointed by the Post Commander of Fort Bonifacio, since the barangay was part of Fort Bonifacio. The first appointed Barangay Captain of Comembo was Juan S. Biteng who served from 1958 to 1982. The first barangay election was held with Pacifico Gonzales as its first elected Barangay Captain.

Presently, Mr. Ariel M. Sarmiento is the Barangay Captain of Comembo.