THE City Government of Bacolod is bent on selling the property occupied by Manokan Country at the Reclamation Area despite strong opposition of tenants and other groups. Sarah Esguerra, executive assistant to Mayor Monico Puentevella, said the City wants to fast-track the process of selling the property since “it needs immediate improvement with the city’s booming status.” “The City is hoping that the process will be finished before the year ends in order for the City to start its partnership with the private entity and start the development immediately,” she said during the second committee hearing conducted by the City Council committee on laws, ordinances, and good governance at the Annex Building of the People’s House on Thursday. Also present were the Manokan Country tenants and other stakeholders. Puentevella had proposed the disposal of the property after he received an unsolicited proposal from SM Prime Holdings Inc. offering to purchase the 17,783 square meters lot at P20,500 per square meter purposely for developing the property into an integrated shopping complex with transport terminal, a hotel, and an improved Manokan Country. But Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of the City Council committee on assets, earlier said that it should not be rushed because there are a lot of issues that need to be further discussed. The tenants of Manokan Country, in their position paper submitted Thursday to Councilor Ana Marie Palermo, chairperson of committee on laws, ordinances, and good government, expressed anew their strong opposition to the City's plan of selling the property to a private entity. The tenants pointed out that the Manokan Country is a place that Bacolodnons can be proud of, as they expressed fear that they may be not taken cared under the private operator. Teresita Mondres, spokesperson of the Manokan Country tenants, said the fight is not yet over, as they are persistent to continuously oppose the said privatization. “We are not against the development of Manokan Country but we are strongly opposing the sale of the property,” Mondres said, adding that the “development can still be done under the government operating the property.” For his part, Councilor El Cid Familiaran said the disposal of Manokan Country property may affect many families, and the city's relocation site might not be ready to accommodate them. This should go slow since the Arao property relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre is not yet ready to accommodate additional relocatees. Information from Barangay 12 obtained by Familiaran shows that about 130 informal settler families will be affected, but according to the Bacolod Housing Authority, it’s only 40 families. Familiaran said there are informal settlers, aside from those from Barangay 12, who have already received a court order for demolition but the City cannot displace them due to the lack of electricity, water, and other basic utilities in the relocation area. He added that aside from the cause of Manokan Country tenants, the City must settle first the issue on informal settlers. By ERWIN P. NICAVERA CARLA N. CANET
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|