Tenants at the Manokan Country in Bacolod City were given until July 5 to vacate their stalls and occupy their temporary space at the terminal hub of SM City for the construction of the Monakan Country building, City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. said Wednesday, June 5.
Ting said of 26 tenants, two of the tenants refused to receive the demand letter or notice to vacate on Tuesday, June 4.
“It was still duly served to the two tenants, and they have no choice but to vacate their stalls until July 5,” he said.
He added that tenants should voluntarily vacate their stalls and need to process their electrical and water connections at the terminal hub of the mall so they can continue their business in the area.
Ting noted that the meter is individual, so they need to process it with the Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Ceneco) and Baciwa-PrimeWater.
On October 20, 2023, the city government of Bacolod signed a contract agreement with SM Prime for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country.
SM Prime has already turned over P131.89 million to the city government for the redevelopment of Manokan Country.
The P131.89 million is seven years of advance rental payments for Manokan Country under the 40-year lease agreement with the city at an annual rental fee of P21.26 million, subject to a five percent escalation rate every three years.
Ting said that out of 26 tenants, 15 of them had already settled their arrears with the city, and the remaining 11 tenants were also given enough time to settle their accounts at the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) to avail a space at the terminal hub.
“They were given a promissory note to settle their arrears, and if they fail to settle, they cannot occupy a space at the terminal hub,” he said.
He added that tenants should update their accounts so that they will be given a space at the terminal hub.
Ting disclosed that SM City has already constructed the stalls at the terminal hub, and they're ready to be occupied by the tenants at any time.
Moreover, the officials of the Manokan Country Vendors Association could not be reached for comment as of Wednesday.*