Salute to a truly great man

Great men often are humble. They don’t gather honors nor delight in the adulation of people, friends and foes alike. Instead, they prefer the privacy of their homes and bury themselves in work.

They shun the high profile lifestyle. And often disdain honors offered to them to acknowledge their contribution to society or social organizations. Since silent water runs deep, one can hardly get them for interviews. They avoid the public eye. But they freely share their views and thoughts with those who really care for them and listen intently to their word of wisdom.

I’m talking about Simplicio “Sammy” Palanca who turned 85 yesterday. Except for a slight hearing difficulty, Sammy often shows me his biceps and moves around with the agility of a person of less than 60.

He has amazing sharp mind. He can immediately spot out flaws in one’s position and easily gets drawn into exposing his views and opinions on vital matters – matters that affect thousands. But there is the caveat. His words are hot for publication.

Somebody once commented why I am a friend of Sammy. Well, it’s not a relationship of recent years. It dates back to the days when he was operating the Vista in Paraiso, Fabrica. Those were the days when I had just got out of the Sacred Heart Seminary and thus, had the time to go around and listen to older men.

The still starry-eyed idealist, I listened intently to Sammy expound how he intended to help Fabrica. He was already painting his vision of how to rescue Bacolod City from the doldrums. Sammy, even then, was already the dreamer. His vision always encompassed how his investment could help people. Not only enrich himself.

Later, I lost touch of him. But, again, when I was in Manila, a staff of the defunct Manila Chronicle, I again renewed acquaintance with him and Tony Martel of Victorias as well as lawyer Nordy Diploma. Then, he was already espousing his vision of the reclamation project in Bacolod City

Very much later, I saw his heartbreaking project with the Bacolod reclamation. He remained obsessively focused on how to help Bacolod grow into a major commercial center of the province of Negros Occidental.

That was the thing that struck me most. He was not just dreaming about progress for Bacolod, but also for the entire province of Negros Occidental.

I monitored intently his ups and downs. And the checkered relationship with the city government. Sammy often muttered about his anguish at being misunderstood by city officials who kept hounding him from one administration to the other.

Along the way, many of his former friends got lost. Some even went against him, thinking that the “Old Man by the Sea” was enriching himself at their expense. But he also infected many more with his vision of Bacolod and how the reclamation project would bring benefits to the city of his dream.

The unkindest cut was the takeover ordinance by the city council. But when I thought Sammy had lost his verve, he remained the Supreme optimist. He continued to borrow money and invested in development projects in the reclamation area. And he managed to convince the SM to build its mall in the lot it had bought a few years back.

Sammy can best talk about the lost opportunities by the city officials. But, again, his thoughts are not for attribution. Some, like the amount of earnings that city could have earned from and taxes if it just concentrated on selling and developing its share of the reclamation area, is one that seems to have gone over the heads of city officials.

Perhaps, one time the city officials can sit down with Sammy and listen to him expound on how the city could be richer not only 10-fold but a hundred fold by just addressing some of his proposals.

They are commonsensical advices that would do the city good.

The most amazing thing, though, is that at 85, Sammy still religiously goes to his office and pores over papers and discusses problems with his staff. And, yes, he still thinks of possible economic projects not only for the reclamation area, but for Bacolod City.*

back to top