BACOLOD City – The City Legal Office (CLO) closed 15 stalls at the Manokan Country in the Reclamation Area yesterday, dashing the hope of Manokan Country Vendors Association president David Montoya that such won’t push through.
According to the CLO, the owners of the 15 stalls violated City Ordinance No. 565 series of 2011, or the Bacolod City Revenue Code.
These tenants had no business permits and sanitary permits, said City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr.
The stall owners could not process their permits because of their delinquencies at the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) for almost a decade, he added.
The unsettled monthly rentals of the Manokan Country stall owners accumulated for several years and reached over P8.6 million (plus penalties) as of July 2022, CTO records showed.
On Aug. 26, the CLO served a final notice to 17 Manokan Country stall owners, giving them a deadline (Sept. 30) to secure business permits, settle their arrears, and make their monthly rentals up to date.
“Failure to comply will result in the closure of their businesses,” read part of the notice.
CTO record showed that of the 18 stall owners at Manokan Country, one fully paid on Aug. 11, days before the final notice was served .Two others settled their accounts in full before Sept. 30.
Ting advised the 15 stall owners to settle their accounts at the CTO so they can start processing their permits and reopen their businesses.
The city government is allowing them to make an initial payment of 20 percent of their arrears and sign a compromise agreement that the balance would be paid on a staggered basis until the end of December 2022.
Meanwhile, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez earlier disclosed that the city government may consider the proposal of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. for a public-private-partnership redevelopment of the Manokan Country, but only if the latter would agree to the conditions of the city government./PN
