Archival laments ‘inconsistencies’ in long-delayed CCMC project

Local

THE long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) has fallen short of expectations once again.

Mayor Nestor Archival said the blame lies in the “inherited deficiencies” and “complicated inconsistencies” left behind by the previous administration.

He said that while he had hoped to complete the hospital within his term, a technical audit revealed serious contract lapses, missing plans, and overlapping payments that made it impossible to proceed without risking further errors.

“Ang CCMC, tinuod nga fallshort ta,” Archival admitted on Thursday, October 16, following the presentation of his 100-day report. “Lisod man gud if atong ipwersa. During the campaign, we didn’t know unsay naa didto. We were expecting to finish it in a year and a half, but tungod sa ka-komplikado — ang cost sa hospital is ₱1.8 billion, nigasto na ug ₱1.3 billion, unya nabayran na ang ₱900 million. Grabe ka-komplikado.”

An independent review led by 25 volunteer engineers and architects from professional groups, including the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, the United Architects of the Philippines, and the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, uncovered several inconsistencies between the Project of Work and Estimates (POWE) and the contracts awarded to various contractors.

“Naay inconsistencies,” the mayor said. “Dili pwede nga ato ning diretsohon pag-award, pag-trabaho ug kuwang lang gihapon.”

The audit showed that some items already completed in earlier phases were still included in later contracts, creating potential double entries and accounting confusion. Around ₱403 million worth of works from phases one to four need rectification, while the ₱648-million Phase 5 contract with Dakay Construction remains on hold pending a full review.

Archival said his team is now cleaning up the lapses that should have been avoided years ago.

“[Na-inherit] ang mga deficiency sa previous administration, kay ug natarong pa na nila, wala unta tay usbunon,” he said.

The city is now setting aside ₱403 million for rectification works and another ₱700 million for phases four to six, bringing the estimated completion cost to ₱1.7 billion.

“Lahi to ang nabayran nga ₱900 million,” Archival clarified.

Despite the setbacks, Archival said he remains committed to completing the hospital by the end of his term.

“Mao gihapon ang goal — to complete ang CCMC by 2028,” he said. “Ang report sa engineers, ma-rectify ang phase 1 to 4 within three to four months kung naa lang budget, ug ang next phases mahuman within a year.”

According to his 100-day report, the City Engineering Office and CCMC management are now finalizing a new program to finish construction up to the roof deck and make the facility fully operational by June 2028.

The ₱1.8-billion CCMC has been under construction since 2012, following the old hospital’s demolition after the 2013 Bohol earthquake. The project has since suffered from mismanagement, with repeated contract revisions, delayed payments, and missing documents.

At least ₱940 million has been paid to five contractors since 2014, with several terminated or pending contracts still unresolved.(TGP)