BACOLOD City – The supposed second closure of the Manokan Country at the Reclamation Area in Barangay 12 on Monday, August 19, was deferred anew.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. confirmed to the media yesterday that no closure will be implemented this month as the temporary area at the parking hub of SM City, just across the Manokan Country, is not yet ready to accommodate the transfer of the tenants.
Ting said the SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SPHI) requested from the city government to postpone the closure to second week of September, saying they have yet to install exhaust fans at the temporary space.
The SPHI leased the portion of the lot property of the city in Barangay 12, where the Manokan Country is also situated, for the redevelopment project.
The SPHI aims to create a world-class destination where locals and tourists can savor Bacolod’s Chicken Inasal — in a setting that offers enhanced spaces, facilities, and experiences for everyone to enjoy.
The private firm thus provided a temporary relocation for the 24 tenants of the Manokan Country for free of rental for 18 months, pending the construction of the project.
The project has also affected several informal settler families in the area.
To recall, on July 16, the city government through the City Legal Office closed the Manokan Country but it was reopened the next day following an agreement between the city government and tenants.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the tenants were given another month, or from July 19 to August 19, to process their transfer to the temporary area, including the transfer of their water and electricity utilities./PN
