A feather in Sammy Palanca's cap

Victory has many authors. And that is exactly what has happened with the inauguration of the SM Bacolod yesterday. Actually, from the way things had been trumpeted about, the one most responsible for it other than Henry Sy was hardly mentioned. I refer to Sammy Palanca the revered head of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation or Bredco. Actually, it was Sammy who last year tipped me about Henry Sy's decision to push ahead with the SM Bacolod project and even gave the MassKara Festival as the time frame on which to complete it.

That's why I go along with the idea of Primo Esleyer for the city government to honor Palanca for his visionary venture - the BREDCO which now has drawn into Bacolod billions of pesos in investments.

In short, one can hardly imagine who one person managed to recover land from a long foreshore area which had nothing but water and debris and mud.

But I recall how, long before that, Sammy used to regale me in Fabrica, Sagay, with his idea of what he could do for Bacolod and how much he could help the province earn a lot more money.

Now, you wonder why that? Well, he was then operating the Vista Theater in Barangay Paraiso. And Sammy Palanca and I, as well as my own parents, got close to one another. Even then, Sammy was already the visionary.

That's why I have remained close to him. I remember one time, Sammy even toyed with the idea of converting Fabrica, especially the American Quarters, into something like an economic zone. And he had visions of a Hongkong-type industrial hub.

Well, that was Sammy for you. That's why I never forgot to look into the progress of his reclamation project. Every inch of the way, I had always been one of the few within a city.

I've always rooted for his projects, especially when he managed to activate the international port wing of the reclamation area.

One just has to listen to Sammy discuss his ideas and share his wisdom with friends and acquaintances. We usually differed only on one thing - politics. I had always discouraged Sammy's investing in political exercises. I always believed that it was a useless investment. But Sammy just went ahead, hoping that somehow, those who shared his vision of the future, would help propose the reclamation into a haven for investors.

What has been bothering was that the roads which BREDCO had constructed and turned over to the city government have remained untended. That's the reason why the road leading from the corner of San Juan to the ferry terminal has hardly been repaired. And it takes BREDCO to fill them up with asphalt as Sammy recently did.

Now, don't you think there is something wrong with the city planners?

Not only that. He has constructed two bridges the latest that one in the South Capitol road. If the city engineer's office just had a medium of common sense, it has only to expand the roadway on the BREDCO side so decongest the traffic along Burgos Street and relieve the crowding that has started to ensue with the inauguration of the SM Bacolod.

Incidentally, Sammy told me that he has plans to open up a new bridge from the North Capitol road. This will provide easy access to inter-island passengers to Superferry and other inland ships. That is something which the city government can give its go-signal to by simply granting the proposal to offset the cost by writing off land taxes. That will not require budgetary outlay from the city government.

These are just some of the things which Sammy's sight envisions for Bacolod. The question is - are city officials responsive to such developmental ideas?

That's why I was wondering whether the Negros Press Club board would agree to the idea by Primo that we should grant a special award to Sammy Palanca for having see the flowering of his dream into a reality and for bringing Bacolod to greater heights.

Thus, if it is true as Bing contends that the Shoe Mart will bring in more than P11 million in taxes alone plus employment to some 4,000 employees, this means an income of P288 million per annum. That's a big injection of money into the money stream of Bacolod. Its multiplier effect is incalculable.

Perhaps it is time that we, Bacolodnons, salute Sammy Palanca.*

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