By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – Some tenants of the iconic Manokan Country have begun occupying temporary stalls provided by SM at the parking area of SM City Bacolod, across the existing site in Barangay 12, which is set to undergo renovation.
City officials, led by Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, visited the temporary location on Tuesday to inspect the area and check on the tenants.
The temporary site features 24 stalls with a common dining area, handwashing station, and comfort room.
To support the tenants, the city plans to provide PHP 20,000 in financial assistance per tenant to help them install roll-up doors for added security at their stalls.
As part of efforts to promote chicken inasal at the temporary site, Benitez previously said the city is considering a proposal to distribute food stamps, similar to the initiative during the 2024 MassKara Festival. However, the mechanics for this plan are still under discussion.
During the 2024 MassKara Festival, the city allocated PHP 2.5 million in food vouchers to boost sales for kiosk tenants, as heavy rains often affected foot traffic in October. “We will talk about it,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Benitez recently approved a request by Barangay 12 Captain Ely Alcantara Jr. to delay the scheduled demolition of informal settlers at the existing Manokan Country site.
The demolition, originally set for Jan. 28 and affecting 22 informal settlers, has been postponed to Feb. 28 to give residents more time to transfer to the relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre.
Fencing at the current site is set to begin next month, and tenants still occupying the existing location have until Jan. 31 to move to the temporary space.
The redevelopment of Manokan Country is a joint project between the city government and SM Prime Holdings Inc., aimed at enhancing tourism and economic growth. The PHP 4-billion redevelopment project is tentatively scheduled to open later this year.
