Mayor asks SM Prime to put fence in vacant area only at Vendor’s Plaza

Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has asked the SM Prime Holdings Inc. to put a fence in the vacant area only from Bacolod Vendor’s Plaza towards the Manokan Country.

This is after the contractor of SM Prime Holdings Inc. will start the fencing from Bacolod Vendor’s Plaza towards the Manokan Country on March 14.

Benitez said SM Prime should put a fence in the vacant area only and they should not remove the residents in the area since the city government is still preparing the relocation site for the affected residents.

He said it was part of the agreement with the residents of Barangay 12 to prepare first their relocation site before the demolition of their houses.

He added at least 60 houses will be affected by the development of Manokan Country and they will be given a relocation site in Abada Escay in Barangay Vista Alegre.

City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. earlier said the contractor of SM Prime is now processing their fencing permit so they can start the implementation of the project.

Ting said the tenants of the Manokan Country will also temporarily transfer to the parking lot of the SM City.

“They cannot transfer the tenants of the Manokan Country as long as their area at SM is not ready,” he said.

He added that SM Prime should prepare the area for the tenants of the Manokan Country so they can transfer and continue their business in the area.

On October 20, 2023, the city government of Bacolod signed a contract agreement with SM Prime for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country.

The SM Prime already turned over P131.89 million to the city government for the redevelopment of the iconic Manokan Country.

The P131.89 million represents 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 5 percent escalation rate every three years.*