THE Cebu City government suspended work in some parts of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) to give way to design changes.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said some work had to be put on hold, such as the installation of plumbing, electrical wires, and air conditioners, to allow for the changes in the design that he wanted implemented first.
“CCMC’s construction is not suspended. The only thing on hold is the installation of the plumbing, electrical wires, and air conditioners while the interior layout is being optimized to a more efficient and modern design. This saves money over having to redo everything after it already completed,” said Osmeña in a post on his official Facebook page on Saturday.
Engineer Josefa Ylanan, chief of the Office of Building Official (OBO), yesterday confirmed that the mayor issued a memorandum to put on hold for 90 days the architectural component of the hospital’s construction, which took effect on May 11.
This developed after the Department of Health (DOH) directed the CCMC management to modify its structural design by reducing the building’s floors from 10 to six in order for the hospital, once completed, to be immediately operational.
Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, also the city’s deputy mayor for health matters, assured that the CCMC will be completed accordingly to its timetable.
“There is no suspension. If you go to CCMC right now, you can see people working as far as (the) structural (component) is concerned,” said Delos Santos.
She also said CCMC is expected to enter into the second phase of its construction soon.
“We’re about to enter into the second phase. We are trying to reconcile everything so as not to commit the slightest mistakes,” Delos Santos explained.
The construction of the new CCMC building began in 2015, during the administration of former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
Rama ordered the old building demolished after it became unfit for occupancy following the 7.2 magnitude quake that rocked Cebu in 2013.