Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella yesterday urged the Sangguniang Panlungsod members to fast-track the disposal of the city's property at the Reclamation Area, where the Manokan Country is located, through a special session tomorrow.

Puentevella said he will ask the SP to tackle the Committee Report of Councilor Ana Marie Palermo, chairman of the Committee on Laws and Ordinances, as concerned agencies of government studying the disposal of the property have already submitted their respective reports to him.

But Palermo has yet to submit a committee report on the result of the two committee hearings she conducted.

Puentevella said that if the Sanggunian will finally act on the matter, the disposal of property will be publicized within the 15 day period and will be up for auction.

The mayor said he received an “unsolicited proposal” from SM Prime Holdings  offering to purchase the 17,783 square meter 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.

In his letter to the SP dated October 28, Puentevella made necessary correction to the offer, explaining that instead of 17,783 square meters, the unsolicited proposal to purchase was only for an aggregate area of 13,783 square meters, which is the subject of his request for an authority to offer for sale a portion of Transfer Certificate Title No. 55866.

The City Appraisal Committee created by the City Mayor's Office composed of City Engineer Belly Aguillon, City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe and City Assessor Rommel De la Cruz has recommended the appraised value of the property at P21,200 per square meter, which they claimed is just, fair and reasonable.

But the appraised value is subject to the review and concurrence of the Commission on Audit.

Puentevella said that whoever will win in the bidding will be the one who will demolish the existing Manokan Country and construct a temporary Manokan Country behind the BAYS Center.

He assured that the name of Manokan Country will remain as long as he is the mayor of Bacolod.

Puentevella said the area will be developed fully well so that the new Manokan Country will be aesthetically established, and sanitation will be assured, while rentals will be religiously paid.

He said that out of the 28 tenants, only four have regularly paid their rentals. The rests are delinquent and some have arrearages of more than a million for one tenant only.

W hen asked about the demolition of the 28 tenants and 130 informal settlers, once the property will be sold, Puentevella said the demolition will be part of the agreement with the winning bidder, which includes a temporary area for the affected stall owners, behind the BAYS Center.

Councilor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the SP Committee on Urban Poor, Housing and Resettlement, had said earlier that the Bacolod Housing Authority is not ready to accommodate the 130 informal settlers, occupying the property between the Manokan Country and the Vendor's Plaza in Brgy 12, at relocation area.

Familiaran said there are now applicants or awardees, who have been issued court orders for demolition, but cannot transfer yet to the relocation site because the area is not ready as provided under R.A. 7279 or the Urban Housing Development Act.

R.A. 7279 mandates that before informal settlers could be relocated to the relocation site, they should be provided electrical connection, water and other basic needs, he added.*CGS

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