City willing to take over construction of CCMC

The construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center has yet to be completed. / cdn file photo

The Cebu City Government is willing to take over the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) if only to fast-track its completion.

“But we’re still studying it. Nothing is final yet,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña told reporters Friday.

“I gave the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) three days to come up with the plans on how to do it,” he added.

Yesterday, he met with several engineers from the DEPW to discuss ways of expediting the completion of the six-storey government hospital which was supposed to be completed in 2017.

Among the alternatives they are looking into was to have the ground and second floors operational by this year, and possibly letting go of the building contractor.

“But as I’ve said, these are not yet final. That’s still a study. Basta I want something operational. Even if some of the items will be temporary,” Osmeña added.

Construction of the CCMC hit a snag after the mayor ordered to suspend its architectural component for 90 days since May 11, to give way to the changes ordered by the Department of Health (DOH), which wanted the number of floors reduced from 10 to six.

In an earlier interview, the mayor explained that doing so would prevent the city from spending more on the modifications recommended by the DOH.

Also, the DEPW has issued a show-cause order against the contractor, C.E. Padilla, to explain the incurred delays.

The DEPW found out that the slippage has reached 23 percent, which is eight percent more than the standard 15 percent. They added that this could be grounds for the city to terminate its contract with C.E. Padilla.

Cebu Daily News tried to get the side of the contractor but no one answered our calls to their Manila office yesterday.

Meanwhile, the general plan of the new CCMC building showed that the first floor will consist of the entrance, ramp and the emergency ward.

The second floor, on the other hand, will house the outpatient department.

City building official Josefa Ylanan, who was also present during yesterday’s meeting, said it is possible to open the first two floors of the building while construction of the four other floors is still going on.

Ylanan however, refused to comment on the show-cause order issued upon C.E. Padilla, and whether or not the firm has replied.

In 2013, former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama had the old CCMC building demolished after it was badly damaged by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Cebu and Bohol.

Construction of the new hospital building started in 2015, or two years later.