BACOLOD City – The 22 informal settler families (ISFs) in Barangay 12 here can breathe easier following the suspension of the scheduled demolition on January 28 of the residential structures behind the Manokan Country.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez yesterday granted the request of Barangay 12 captain Ely Alcantara Jr. to hold off the demolition for one month.
Alcantara said the mayor agreed to reschedule the demolition on February 28, however the ISFs should submit a formal letter to the Office of the Mayor.
On January 17, the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) led a pre-demolition conference (PDC), together with the Local Housing Board (LHB), in Barangay 12 in relation to the redevelopment project by SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SPHI) covering barangays 10 and 12 in this city.
During the conference, the 22 affected ISFs appealed for a one-month extension, saying they are not yet ready to transfer to the relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre for they have not yet fix their water and electricity utilities.
On Oct. 20, 2023, the city government formalized a partnership with property giant SPHI to modernize the Manokan Country.
The redevelopment involves a 16,875-square-meter city-owned property leased to SPHI, located across from SM City Mall in the Reclamation Area.
As for the Manokan Country stall owners, SPHI had arranged a temporary relocation site in the SM City Mall parking hub, enabling continued business operations./PN
