A lawyer of the displaced tenants hints at filing a case to nullify a contract between city hall and SM Prime Holdings, which they blame for the Manokan’s closure

BACOLOD, Philippines – The city government has closed down Bacolod’s iconic Manokan Country, renowned for its famous chicken inasal (grilled chicken), bringing an end to its four decades of operation.

Its closure on Tuesday morning, July 16, to pave the way for the development of an ambitious commercial center project, displaced at least 24 stall owners at the 41-year-old food center on Father Mauricio Ferero Street at the reclamation area in Barangay 12.

Members of a team from city hall’s legal office placed yellow police tape across about 30 stalls to keep the public off the property.

“This means no one is allowed to operate anymore,” said city legal officer Romeo Carlos Ting.

Colonel Noel Aliño, Bacolod police director, said authorities implemented the closure order without resistance, but a lawyer, speaking on behalf of the affected tenants, hinted at bringing the local government to court.

Meanwhile, SM Prime Holdings Incorporated (SMPHI) will soon start fencing off the entire Manokan Country after its closure.

Based on an agreement between city hall and SMPHI in October last year, the company will pay the local government P21.26 million annually, with a 5% increase every three years.

SMPHI plans to build a mixed-use building with retail stores, BPO hubs, and the rebranded Manokan Country.

In November 2023, SMPHI paid the city government P131.89 million as an advance for seven years of rent for a 16,875-square meter property, including Vendor’s Plaza, Manokan Country, and the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports (BAYS) Center.

Established during the tenure of the late Bacolod mayor Jose Montalvo Jr. through City Ordinance No. 16-1983, Manokan had been a favorite place of tourists whose visit to Bacolod was seen as incomplete unless they tasted chicken inasal there.

Lawyer Joemax Ortiz, one of the legal counsels of the displaced stall holders, said they would file a case to nullify a 40-year lease contract between city hall and SMPHI, which they blame for the Manokan’s closure.

Ortiz argued that the 1983 city law established the Manokan Country during the Montalvo administration, and the ordinance was neither amended nor repealed at the time city hall closed it down.

He said such “neglect involves several legal lapses” which justify the cancellation of a P4-billion, 40-year lease agreement between the city government and SMPHI.

Father Julius Espinosa, head of the Caritas Philippines-Social Action Center Foundation (PC-SACF), the social arm of the Catholic Diocese of Bacolod, came and watched as the city hall team implemented the closure order.

He said he was sent by Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon to “take care” of the displaced Manokan tenants.

“We are with them (tenants) in their fight for just and fair treatment amid the city government’s quest to redevelop the Manokan Country area through SMPHI, as part of the mayor’s dream to turn Bacolod into a super city,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa acknowledged the separation of church and state principle but emphasized that the Diocese of Bacolod cannot ignore the displaced tenants’ pleas, pointing out that Manokan Country has been part of the Bacolod cathedral’s neighborhood for over 40 years. 

Manokan Country is less than 200 meters from the cathedral.

Displaced tenants were offered temporary space at SM City Bacolod-North Terminal Hub during the redevelopment, but no one accepted. They, however, want a relocation site where they can all move together. However, the city government hasn’t found a place yet, though the tenants will be prioritized for the new Manokan Country once the project is completed.

The displaced tenants are concerned about anticipated high rent and other charges from SMPHI for the new Manokan Country.

“It won’t be the same anymore,” said Ortiz. “The new rates and other costs will be a burden for the original Manokan Country tenants.” – Rappler.com