By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY — Tenants of Manokan Country are set to vacate their original site in Barangay 12 on Sept. 25, following a 10-day extension granted by the city.
Initially, tenants were scheduled to transfer by Sept. 15, but City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said SM management requested an extension due to the ongoing installation of an exhaust system at the temporary facility, located across from the original site.
Ting said a meeting with tenants will be scheduled to discuss the transition and improvements at the temporary facility in the parking lot of SM City Bacolod.
Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said that once SM turns over the temporary facility, the tenants must transfer immediately.
“We will give them time to move, but they must show that they are transferring,” he added.
Of the more than 20 tenants, Ting noted that 10 have significant arrears. Only three have signed promissory notes, while seven have yet to pay.
Benitez said the city charges a minimal rental fee, but some tenants still failed to settle their debts. He also mentioned opening the space to other interested parties.
“It’s not just them I have to consider. Others can come in if they don’t comply,” he added.
The Sept. 25 deadline is the latest in a series of extensions given to the tenants since Aug. 25.
Benitez initially ordered the closure of the stalls on July 16 after tenants refused to transfer to the temporary facility and failed to settle their arrears.
However, they were allowed to continue operations in the existing Manokan Country on July 17, provided they began processing their utilities before transferring.
