BACOLOD City – Of the 27 Manokan Country stall owners, only 14 were allowed to relocate to a temporary location due to the impending demolition of the Reclamation Area in Barangay 12 in this city.
Effective June this year, the Manokan Country will be demolished due to the redevelopment project of the SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SPHI). SPHI leased the city’s 16,875-square-meter property across from SM City and it has begun fencing the property to initiate their project in the area.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said only 14 Manokan stall owners will be transferred to a relocation site – at the parking lot of SM City Bacolod – following the settlement of their monthly obligations and arrears.
The space provided by the private firm is free for rental but the stall owners are required to secure a business permit.
As for those who were not recommended by the city government to avail spaces at the temporary site, Ting said they can apply directly to the SPHI after the redevelopment.
Last month, informal settler families (ISFs) at the Reclamation Area received homelots from the city government after their structures were demolished due to the aforementioned redevelopment project.
Ma. Cristina Samonte, Housing and Homesite Regulations Officer V of the Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA), said only 64 ISFs were eligible for relocation at the Arao Relocation Site in Barangay Vista Alegre./PN
