Garcia vows to finish CCMC: ‘Hopefully in my first term as mayor’

Cebu City Medical Center | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mayoral candidate and incumbent city mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has made the long-delayed completion of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) the centerpiece of his campaign for a full term.

He vowed to deliver a “fully functional city hospital” after more than a decade of stalled construction.

In an exclusive interview with CDN Digital, Garcia said the city is preparing to bid out the construction of the fourth to seventh floors of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

He added that budgets have also been allocated for the eighth to tenth floors.

“Tutukan na gyud nato ang paghuman sa CCMC. Hapit na kaayo—bidding na ta sa 4th to 7th floor. Ang 8th to 10th floors naa nay budget. Hopefully in my first term as mayor, mahuman na gyud,” Garcia said.

(Let’s really focus on finishing the CCMC. We’re almost there—we’re already bidding for the 4th to 7th floors. The 8th to 10th floors already have a budget. Hopefully, within my first term as mayor, we can finally complete it.)

READ: Yogi Ruiz: If CCMC has defects, then I’ll close it if I become mayor

Raymond wants P120 million as addt’l budget for CCMC

Garcia, who took over as Cebu City mayor in October 2024 following the dismissal of former mayor Michael Rama for nepotism, is running under the Kusug–Panaghiusa coalition.

He emphasized that completing the CCMC is not just a campaign promise but a moral obligation to the people of Cebu City, who have long awaited its services. He assured the public that its full operation is a top priority of his administration.

Garcia also emphasized the expansion of the city’s health services through newly established “super health centers,” designed to function as mini-hospitals in key areas across the city.

The health center in Barangay Apas is now operational, while another in Barangay Labangon is expected to open in the coming weeks.

“Para emergency cases, dili na kinahanglan mudagan pa sa CCMC. Naa nay duol nga center nga maka-atiman sa katawhan,” he said.

(For emergency cases, there’s no need to rush all the way to CCMC anymore. There’s now a nearby center that can attend to the people.)

The mayor’s comments come amid criticisms from his rivals, particularly mayoral candidate Yogi Filemon Ruiz, who said the city should consider abandoning the CCMC altogether and instead build a new “world-class” hospital at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Ruiz argued that CCMC may already have structural issues after years of neglect, and that starting fresh could save time and money.

“Let’s stop approaching this problem politically. If the CCMC has structural defects, let’s shut it down,” Ruiz said.

But Garcia rejected the idea of giving up on the CCMC, calling it a disservice to Cebuanos who have waited too long for a functioning public hospital.

“Unsay dili ipapugos? [Nga] kinahanglan man gyud nato humanon ang CCMC,” he said.

(What do you mean don’t force it? We really need to finish the CCMC.)

He also declined to be drawn into what he called “election-season noise” from political opponents, who he said were using attacks to prop up their campaigns.

“You’ve seen the success of Sinulog, the Palaro. You’ve seen the opening of the health center in Barangay Apas, and you’ve seen the opening of a hospital in Barangay Guba. Daghan na kaayo mo ug makita nga mga resulta sa akong gibuhat (You can already see a lot of results from what I’ve done). So I won’t comment on that any further,” he said.

Independent candidate Julieto Co, for his part, blamed both Garcia and former mayor Michael Rama for the rise in criminality and drug problems in the city.

Garcia again declined to respond, saying his focus is on public service, not political mudslinging.

Garcia and running mate Jose Daluz III, former chairman of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, filed their certificates of candidacy on October 8.

He will go against former mayor Rama, Councilor Nestor Archival Sr., former PDEA-7 director Yogi Filemon Ruiz, and independent bidder Julieto Co.

The 2025 midterm elections will be held on May 12, 2025. /clorenciana