The Cebu city government should tap the private sector to finance the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) more quickly, Press Secretary Herminio Coloma said.
Coloma, who attended a gathering of the Don Bosco Alumni Association and visited the Cebu Daily News editorial office yesterday, said that while the national government can help rebuild the city hospital, it had “infinite needs and finite resources.”
An interfaith movement and some Cebu City officials yesterday launched the “Walk for CCMC” fund raiser at the Plaza Independencia . The event is scheduled on July 19.
Coloma said the national government would assist in the project, but pending action on that, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama should tap Cebu’s business community.
“There are many companies investing in the province and city. That’s the most natural CSR (corporate social responsibility) for them because this is their bailiwick,” he told CDN.
He cited how port and casino magnate Ricky Razon shelled out P250 million for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City after typhoon Yolanda “out of the goodness of his heart”.
In Cebu, he mentioned how the Aboitizes stepped up to help in post-storm rehabilitation, particularly in Bantayan island.
Coloma said he was a good friend of the mayor and was certain the national government would look after the welfare of city residents even if the mayor is not an ally of the Liberal Party.
Coloma said the national government more than tripled its appropriation for the Department of Health (DOH) since 2010 but it is still inadequate to cover all health-related concerns, including building new hospitals or repairing old ones.
A big part of the DOH budget, he said, is also set aside for the enrollment of more Filipinos for Philhealth coverage.
“We have infinite needs and finite resources and we have already scaled up our spending for public health,” he said.
Cebu City Michael Rama is asking for P1 billion from the DOH to build the new CCMC to replace the public hospital which had to be demolished after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October last year.
A “Piso Mo, Hospital Ko” fund-raising drive has raised over P8 million in private pledges so far.
Mayor Rama has been discussing the hospital project with Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson but no firm commitments were made yet.
Coloma yesterday said projects costing P500 million or more need approval from the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) to be endorsed for national government funding or foreign grants as Official Development Assistance.
“Part of the ICC process is to identify the fund source which could be national budget or grants,” he said.
Stakeholders
Coloma said the city government could also tap Filipino communities abroad: “It’s such a big economy with so many stakeholders,” he said.
Rama is in Virginia, USA, to present the CCMC reconstruction project to the Operation Smile board of governors to solicit funding.
In yesterday’s launching of “Walk for CCMC”, Vice Mayor Edgar Labella said every peso donated would help build “the people’s hospital.”
Ernesto Ben Chua, a member of the Cebu City Interfaith Movement, said they are helping mobilize private sector support.
With a P50 registration fee, those interested to join can start walking from Plaza Sugbo or Fuente Osmeña. The walk ends at the old CCMC site for a program./ UP Cebu Intern Gerriane Rizon
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