PHL’s top economic movers pledge P800 million for CCMC’s completion

Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) file photo.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — About P800 million worth of development funds will soon be poured for the completion of some floors of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

This is the collective amount of pledges or “donations” that Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was able to secure for CCMC during his four-day “investment begging” in Luzon from August 9 to August 12, 2022.

Cebu City Secretary to the Mayor Lawyer Collin Rosell, in a press conference on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, said that this is only the start as other private entities nationwide also expressed intention to support the realization of CCMC.

“These pledges are really ‘concrete’ pledges. This is not hypothetical… naay uban (investors) nga they are willing to do more. Daghan pa ang committed,” he said.

Rosell, however, said that despite these pledges of support, the hospital’s operational management remains with the City.

“It has no strings attached other than the discussed naming rights. But the point here, asking them to support us in building the poor man’s hospital in a short period of time. This is also their point in talking about CSR (corporate social responsibility),” he said.

“One company will have one floor. They will have the naming rights of that floor. Mao na ang gihatag sad by way of recognizing their magnanimity in helping the Cebuano people,” Rosell added.

Among the business executives who gave their initial commitment of financial support for the completion of at least one CCMC floor each, are Manny Pangilinan of PLDT and MVP Group; Ayala Land Inc.; Robinson’s Land Corp.; Filinvest Land, Inc.; SM Group, and SBS Philippines Corp.

Three separate groups of Filipino-Chinese investors, who asked for anonymity, also assured Rama of their support for the realization of the CCMC.

Meanwhile, Architect Yumi Espina, the City Planning and Development Officer, said Pangilinan agreed to fund the completion of the hospital’s third floor, where the operating rooms are situated.

“Since it is one of the most important and actually, upcoming, kay human na man ni ang third floor, the operating room theaters will be on the third floor. We offered that to MVP (Pangilinan) and he is very willing to support the third floor,” he said.

Yumi said that while these pledges of investments will be utilized for the operationalization of the already constructed floors, they are also encouraging investors to “come in” for the architectural completion of the upper floors, once the structures or the “shell” of the remaining floors are already finished.

Looking from the outside, it can be seen that seven out of the 10 floors of the CCMC are already completed.

M. E Sicat, the contractor in charge of the completion of Phase 4 of the CCMC, earlier, committed to making the third and fourth floors of the new CCMC building fully operational by October 2022.

These floors will house the operating room complex and the emergency room complex.

The contractor also committed to completing the construction of the structure or the shell of CCMC’s eight to 10th floors by January 2023.

Moreover, Rosell said everything discussed about these funding commitments will soon be put into writing through a memorandum of agreement.

He also emphasized that the Mayor aims to make the CCMC fully operational before his three-year term ends.   /rcg

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