A member of the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod said yesterday he will inhibit himself in any deliberation or undertaking involving the proposed sale of the government-owned 1.3 hectare covering Bacolod City's landmark Manokan Country at the Reclamation Area.
“As a public official, I am a reasonable person. If I give my opinion, others might accuse me of protecting my interest. So I have decided to inhibit myself in any deliberation on the Manokan Country,” Bacolod Councilor El Cid Familiaran, who owns a stall between the Manokan Country and the Vendor's Plaza, said. SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Is proposing to buy the 13,783 square meter property at Rizal Street, Road Lot 4 and Burgos Street at the Reclamation Area in Bacolod City that houses the Manokan Country and the Vendor's Plaza, as well as an adjacent parking area,. SM executive vice president Jeffrey Kim, in his letter to Puentevella, said they intend to re-develop the property into an integrated shopping complex with a transport terminal, a hotel and an improved Manokan Country, which is a landmark of Bacolod City. Familiaran said the proposal of SM is absolute sale of the 1.3 hectare lot and not conditional sale, or public private partnership, or even build-operate-transfer, where the next owner will have absolute ownership and control of the property and its usage. His investment in a stall in the Manokan Country came from his own sweat and from hard work after he left Negros Navigation, he said. Familiaran said he bidded for stall 23, located in between the Manokan Country and the Vendor's Plaza, sometime in 2006 or 2007, for about P500,000 and he paid all the arrears and other obligations of the previous tenant. If the Manokan Country is sold, Familiaran said he will lose his investment and is certain he will not be refunded since they are just stall renters. He said he will dispose of the property for the city to improve the Manokan Country. Based on the records of the Permits and Licensing Division, only Familiaran has no outstanding account with the city, as well as the owners of stall nos. 25 and 26. Familiaran said he is just paying rental fees for the land amounting to P900, while the others are paying for the rent of the stalls amounting to about P2,000 or P3,000 a month. He said the SM communication submitted by the mayor to the SP was for information only, but if it requires action from the SP, he will inhibit himself. Meanwhile, Puentevella said the income generated by the new Manokan Country will be used to improve several of the city's basic services to better serve the community. “It will still be called Manokan Country no matter what,” Puentevella said. He said the idea is part of the Master Plan which was created during the first months of his administration with the help of the United Architects of the Philippines – Negros Occidental Chapter. It also incorporated a coastal road that will stretch from Banago to Talisay, a sugar road from Sum-ag to the new Bacolod-Silay Airport access road and the upgrade of the public plaza. He said he will talk with the bidders and the UAP-Negros to find a city-owned property near the vicinity to house the vendors when the construction takes place.*CGS By: Chrysee G. Samillano Visayan Daily Star
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