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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017
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BACOLOD City – City Administrator John Orola confirmed that one of the largest property developers in Southeast Asia wants to develop the string of chicken barbeque stalls at the Reclamation Area.
But Orola already warned that only worthy stallholders may avail themselves of slots at the improved Manokan Country.
A staffer of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. called him on Sunday and told him Director Hans Sy would like to meet him when he goes to Manila, Orola told a news conference at the Bacolod City Government Center yesterday.
Sy was offering to undertake the development of the Manokan Country, which is just across SM City-Bacolod mall, under a public-private partnership with the city government, said the city administrator.
Sy already disclosed the idea to reporters when he was here on Saturday, Jan. 28 to receive the recognitions that the local government conferred his father, Henry Sy Sr., chairman emeritus of SM Prime.
“It’s really to show what can be done, what can be enhanced,” said Sy, chairman of the company’s executive committee. Manokan Country may be improved by, among others, “adding more parking spaces.”
The former SM Prime president said the initiative could be similar to what the company did to a marketplace in Dasmariñas, Cavite, which was improved to “ensure everything is done very well and it did not cause any traffic…”
Sy clarified, however, that he has yet to consult the city government under Mayor Evelio Leonardia about this.
On behalf of Henry Sy Sr., Hans Sy received the “Adopted Son of the City of Bacolod” and the “Honorary Mayor of the City of Bacolod” honors from Leonardia on Day 2 of the Bacolaodiat Festival, a local Chinese New Year celebration.
Yesterday, Orola clarified that SM Prime does not plan to own the Manokan Country.
While he acknowledged that the plan is beneficial to the city, Orola emphasized that all they have from SM Prime right now is a “verbal proposal,” and nothing is official yet. City hall remains open to more proposals, he said.
And if ever the development materializes, “only qualified applicants can avail [themselves of] an area” at the Manokan Country, Orola said.
He complained that only two out of the 23 stallholders in the area have updated payments to the city government.
Stallholders with a “bad record” may be disqualified, while those “willing” to occupy and maintain their space will be prioritized, he stressed.
Orola said the market committee under the City Administrator’s Office will be tasked to determine the occupants./PN
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