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[av_heading heading=’Bacolod not selling ‘Manokan’ – mayor’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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Thursday, February 2, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia clarified that the city government is not selling the Manokan Country.
“Wala kami nagalibod sang Manokan,” Leonardia said yesterday, referring to the string of chicken barbeque stalls at the Reclamation Area.
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. wants to develop the area. Director Hans Sy brought up the idea when he received the “Honorary Mayor” and “Adopted Son” honors for his father Henry Sr. from city hall on Jan. 28.
City Administrator John Orola confirmed the plan in a news conference at the Bacolod City Government Center two days later.
Sy, chairman of SM Prime’s executive committee, opined that the Manokan Country may be improved by, among others, “adding more parking spaces.”
“It’s really to show what can be done, what can be enhanced,” he said.
Yesterday, Leonardia told the press that SM Prime — one of the largest property developers in Southeast Asia — wants to only “develop” the Manokan.
Sy never mentioned anything about buying the property and the city government never offered to “sell” it, the mayor said.
On Saturday, Sy admitted that he had yet to consult the city government, particularly Leonardia, about the idea.
“Who does not want improvement?” Leonardia said.
But the mayor noted there is nothing official yet. “We will have to wait and see what their official proposal really is.”
The Manokan Country is situated just across the SM City-Bacolod mall.
Right now judging SM Prime based on its plans would be “speculative,” said Leonardia. “If we keep talking about these ideas, many speculations would come in, many malicious interpretations.”
On Monday, Orola said a staffer of SM Prime called him on Sunday and told him Sy would like to meet him when he goes to Manila.
Sy offered to develop the Manokan Country under a public-private partnership with the city government, said Orola.
During the Puentevella administration, SM Prime offered to buy a 1.3-hectare property in Barangay 12 where the Manokan Country is located for P20,500 per square meter.
But the purchase was not materialized.
The city government had to settle some legal issues before it could sell the property, while several Barangay 12 residents and Manokan Country stall owners were opposed to the offer./PN
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