The City Government of Bacolod will try to talk with the SM Prime Holdings Inc. to give a little bit more extension to the affected residents in Barangay 12 for the development of the Manokan Country, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Monday, December 11.
Benitez said it’s a normal process of the City Legal Office (CLO) to issue a demand letter or notice to vacate to the affected residents for the implementation of the said program.
On December 6, the CLO served the demand letter to at least 50 informal settlers in Barangay 12. They were given until January 8, 2024, to vacate the area.
SM Prime Holdings Inc. will start the development of Manokan Country next year, which will affect 50 informal settlers.
Of the 50 affected house owners, only 32 of them are qualified to avail a relocation site.
The disqualified residents were already given a relocation site before but failed to occupy it.
The mayor said that those who were disqualified for the relocation site should go back to their identified relocation area.
He added they will have to sit down to discuss this concern because it’s also unfair to other beneficiaries since they were already given a relocation site and tried to avail again.
“Under our policy, the relocation site beneficiaries should occupy their areas,” Benitez said.
He said they will also finalize the financial assistance to be given to the affected residents.
On October 20, the city government of Bacolod signed a contract agreement with SM Prime for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country.
They also turned over P131.89 million to the Bacolod City government for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country, signaling the start of its transformation into a future-ready tourist destination that honors Ilonggo food culture and tradition.*