City execs question fees for design, supervision

ccmc construction

Cebu City officials are insisting that the city government does not have to pay a private architectural firm for their professional fees for the design and supervision of the ongoing construction of Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

According to Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, Espina, Perez-Espina and Associates should present a Notice of Award and resolution from the Bids and Awards Committee that they were formally contracted by the city to do the design and supervision of the new hospital.

This was also the opinion of the City Legal Office.

“Although I am not part of the executive department, but I cannot recall that there was such a bidding and that there was such a notice of award issued. Otherwise, it should have passed through the City Council for payment,” Labella said yesterday.

He said this is required under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act. If a firm is hired for consultancy services, Labella said there has to be a public bidding for it.

The Espina firm earlier sent a first billing to the city government through Mayor Tomas Osmeña worth P33.3 million for professional services in the architectural and engineering design and supervision of the new CCMC.

The billing did not include an P8.5-million fee for the schematic design phase of the new hospital construction which was made by the firm pro-bono or for free.

The Espinas were brought in during the previous administration of former mayor Michael Rama. Back then, it was mentioned that they will be doing the architectural design for the new hospital for free.

Sought for comment on the billing, Rama said he believes that the Espinas have a legal basis in pursuing payment from the city.

“I would not be further adding comment. I am pretty sure that the Espina architects, they know what they are doing and the direction they wish to pursue. And I wish them well in their quest on what they believe should be acted upon,” he said.

Cebu Daily News earlier sought the comment of Architect Miko Espina about the city’s opinion on their statement. Although he refused to entertain questions, he said that what was only agreed before was that only the conceptual design of the new CCMC will be made by them for free.