Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez is providing assistance to the tenants of Manokan Country to attract customers while its multi-billion peso redevelopment being undertaken by SM Prime Holdings Inc. gets underway.
Councilor Celia Matea Flor, chairperson of the City Council committee on markets, said on Tuesday, Feb. 4, that food vouchers amounting to P500,000 have already been printed and distributed through the city councilors.
“This is a personal expense of the mayor,” she added.
The food vouchers, worth P150 each, were provided by the mayor in response to the concern raised by the tenants that they would have a hard time attracting customers if they would move out from their stalls at the Reclamation Area that they are leasing from the city government.
Last week, some 24 affected tenants eventually started to occupy the temporary stalls provided by the developer at the SM City Bacolod terminal hub just across the Manokan Country site.
This would give way to the demolition of the old Manokan structure, which is part of the Manokan Country Redevelopment Project as provided in the multi-billion-peso contract entered into by the city government and SM Prime in October 2023.
Benitez said the SM Prime will board up the site for demolition within the month.*PNA