Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued Executive Order (EO) No. 38 declaring July 18, 2021 as the “Atty. Simplicio A. Palanca Day” in the city.
The EO said the city recognizes Palanca’s “invaluable contribution and colossal impact” on the economic landscape of the city as well as his “fearless vision of a highly-developed and competitive” Bacolod.
Leonardia issued the EO following Palanca’s passing last July 10. He will be laid to rest on July 18 at their family mausoleum in Victorias City, Negros Occidental.
“We mourn the passing away of Atty. Simplicio ‘Sammy’ Palanca. We mourn because we lost an extraordinary man. A rarity. He was ‘one of a kind.’ He was a man with a vision that nobody else had,” the mayor said in a statement.
An entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a lawyer, Palanca has made significant contributions for the development and progress of Bacolod City, making people dub him as “the old man by the sea” and “the man who saw tomorrow.”
After passing the Bar in 1954, Palanca reclaimed a 250-hectare shoreline in Bacolod and founded the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (BREDCO), which ever since became the gateway to the city and the province, thereby propelling the local economy, opening tourism windows, and providing jobs and opportunities for Bacolodnons.
“As early as in the 1960s, when our city was relatively laid-back and we were just content with what we had, Atty. Palanca had envisioned the reclamation area. Maybe so many did not comprehend what he was dreaming of and how the reclamation would impact us as a city. But, lo and behold! Look what the reclamation has done for us. Atty. Palanca changed the landscape of Bacolod literally and figuratively,” said Leonardia.
Palanca was also instrumental in the construction of one of the landmarks of Bacolod City, the Pope John Paul II Tower, a 7-storey tower built on the exact location where Pope John Paul II celebrated the Holy Mass in 1981.
The late philanthropist also donated P70 million for the construction of the Medical Arts Building of the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center.
Palanca was a recipient of various awards and recognitions. One was the Papal Award from the Diocese of Bacolod for his contribution to the building of the Pope John Paul II Tower.
In 2017, he was the recipient of the “Ang Banwahanon Award,” the highest award bestowed by the Bacolod City government on its citizens, in recognition of their outstanding works and achievements which made great impact to the community./WDJ