BACOLOD City – This city has declared July 18 of this year as Atty. Simplicio A. Palanca Day, in honor of the founder of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO) who passed away on July 10 at the age of 98.
In an executive order, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Palanca was an entrepreneur and philanthropist fondly dubbed as the “the old man by the sea” and “the man who saw tomorrow”, and has become a prominent pillar of his city.
“Palanca ventured into business and founded the BREDCO, where through hard work, courage and perseverance made his greatest legacy of reclaiming 250-hectare shoreline of Bacolod City which commenced in 1961,” Leonardia said.
Palanca’s project has also “opened tourism windows”, providing jobs and opportunities to Bacolodnons, he added.
Palanca was also instrumental in the construction of one of the landmarks in Bacolod, the Pope John Paul II Tower, a seven-storey tower built on the exact location where Pope John Paul II celebrated the Holy Mass in 1981.
“He also donated P70 million for the construction of the Medical Arts Building of the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center which serves as doctors’ clinics, a pharmacy, and physical therapy service,” the mayor added.
Palanca will be laid to rest on July 18 in his family mausoleum in Victorias City, Negros Occidental./PN
