By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – The city government has given the tenants of Manokan Country until July 20 to transfer to a temporary structure built by SM Prime Holdings Inc. at the parking space of SM City Bacolod.
“They were given a two-week extension to comply with the water and power connection,” City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said in a media interview.
Ting added that the tenants have submitted a compromise agreement stating their demands from the city government, agreeing to transfer to the temporary space, which is just across the existing Manokan Country.
Twenty-three of the 24 tenants signed the agreement and stated that once the new Manokan Country within the SM vicinity is operational, they are assured that the rental rate will not exceed P100 per square meter, they will be regulated by the local government where they can raise their concerns, and they will be allowed flexible operating hours.
They also stated that tenants should be prioritized in the permanent area, that all 23 tenants will be included in the temporary area regardless of their arrears, and assured that they will settle their accounts and comply with the necessary documents needed to operate.
The temporary location of Manokan Country is free of rental charge, and chimneys or exhaust hoods will be provided.
Ting informed Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez of the agreement and the contract of lease.
Ting stated that the last day of operation for the tenants will be on July 21, as fencing of the stalls will start on July 22.
Benitez earlier said that the city would not give any more extensions to the tenants after the July 5 deadline initially set by the city, following the issuance of the City Legal Office’s notice to vacate to 26 tenants last month, despite the earlier opposition of the tenants to vacate the stalls.
However, with the recent development, the city has given them time to prepare for their transfer to the temporary space.
Manokan Country, established in the 1990s, is a row of restaurants selling grilled foods, especially the famous Bacolod chicken inasal.
SM Prime Holdings committed a P4 billion investment for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country, which is expected to operate tentatively by 2025.
