Every piece of equipment used in the old Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) building is accounted for and in the custody of Cebu City Hall.
“All these are supported by documents. My point is, let us not muddle the issue. The issue is all about disqualification. This is a side issue. Whatever insinuation made is uncalled for,” Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos said.
The councilor who chairs the CCMC ad hoc committee, was responding to questions raised by Sun.Star Cebu columnist Elias Espinoza on the whereabouts of the CCMC scrap materials.
The City Council set an executive session on Dec. 4 to look into the matter and invite Espinoza after Councilor Sisinio Andales raised the allegations in a privileged speech and called on the Ombudsman-Visayas to investigate the issue.
Demolition
De los Santos showed reporters a copy of the accomplishment report submitted by the CCMC ad hoc committee to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama last April.
The report said the city government retrieved P13.38 million worth of items from the CCMC demolition.
These include generator sets, electrical wires and breakers and automatic transfer switches worth P8 million.
These items are now under the custody of CCMC management.
Another P1 million worth of items including fire extinguishers, plastic chairs, cabinets, tiles and jalousie blades are under the custody of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW).
Partnership
About P4 million worth of medical equipment, furniture and various computer equipment are kept by the General Services Office (GSO).
The DEPW dumped 3,960 cubic meters of rubble from the demolished hospital along the road leading to the City Hall block in the South Road Properties and in Pond A.
Both De los Santos and DEPW Chief and City Engr. Jose Marie Poblete confirmed that a private contractor helped demolish the old hospital.
Asked to identify the contractor, de los Santos said she could not recall off hand, but referred the query to Poblete.
“Mayor Rama has been advocating for PPP (public-private partnership). The senior citizens park, the area going to Capitol, these are at no cost to the city since the city tapped the private sector. Since the earthquake that condemned CCMC, the mayor has been appealing to the people for help,” she said.
“The way I understand it, the contractor helped the DEPW in the demolition by way of PPP like what we did before when we demolished the building at the senior citizens park,” Poblete said.
Unfounded
Delos Santos said officials and the media should focus instead on the disqualification of the lowest bidder for the construction of a new CCMC and not get derailed by “side issues.”
She said allegations that the contractor benefited from scrap materials of the demolished hospital were unfounded.
“There’s nothing here. There’s no money involved. What scrap are they talking about?”
“You cannot be writing something like that if you’re a responsible journalist. I don’t want the CCMC project to be tainted by irresponsible writers,” delos Santos said.
“If he is privy to somebody receiving money, I challenge him – come out in the open. Come to the council. Name names if you’re witness to the changing of hands in terms of money,” she added referring to the column of Espinoza, who said the contractor benefited from the demolition of the CCMC by recovering the scrap materials.