Archival to look into approved P700-million CCMC contract

Local

THE new Cebu City mayor plans to scrutinize the P700-million contract that was awarded to a contractor to finish the construction of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. said he will take charge of completing the long-delayed CCMC, starting with a full audit of the newly approved P700-million construction contract.

Archival, in an interview on Tuesday, July 1, said his administration will not proceed blindly and will first determine whether the recently approved budget can cover the scope of work promised.

“This is one of the things I want to look into,” Archival said. “Ang akong gikuyawan, inig-deliver nila sa 700 million, dili gihapon mahuman [ang ospital]. So I want to understand unsa gyud ang ideliver based on the contract.”

The P700-million contract, signed by then outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on June 27, was awarded to Dakay Construction and Development Corp. for Phase 5 of the CCMC.

It covers the completion of the third floor and the construction of the fourth and fifth floors of the 10-story facility, with a completion target of 240 calendar days.

Archival said his immediate task is to examine the details of the contract, especially since previous phases of the project were riddled with delays, unclear deliverables, and unfinished facilities.

“In fact, daghan pa kaayong kulang. Wala pa'y elevator, wala pa’y generator. So I want to know kung unsa'y sulod ani nga kontrata. Basin kinahanglan pa tag laing budget kung dili pa ni makatiwas,” Archival said.

Archival urged officials from the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) and Dakay Construction to meet with him to lay down the specifics of the project and explain to the public how far the P700 million will go.

“To the contractor and DEPW: I want to sit down with you so you can explain to the people what exactly you’re delivering. The public needs to understand—if this won’t complete the hospital, how much more do we need?” he said.

This comes amid years of confusion and public frustration over the CCMC’s stalled reconstruction, which began in 2015 to replace the original building damaged by the 2013 earthquake.

In a previous interview, former Mayor Garcia defended the timing of the contract signing, saying he did not want to delay the project any further.

“That's why in my short stint of one year, I made it a priority nga lihokon gyud ang CCMC,” Garcia said on June 30. “At least the third to fifth floors will be completed. It’s now up to the next administration if they will continue it to the tenth.”

Garcia earlier explained that the funding came from unused portions of a previous P1-billion contract that was terminated due to delays.

He said he would have wanted to personally brief Archival before leaving office, but remained open to providing updates if needed.

In 2024, councilors questioned the legitimacy of works being done by Dakay Construction even before a formal rebidding process had been completed. Conflicting statements from project engineers only deepened the confusion, raising calls for stricter contract management and budget tracking.

Despite the recent contract signing, much work remains. Once Phase 5 is finished, the upper floors, sixth to tenth, will still need funding and construction. A separate pledge of nearly P1 billion from private donors has yet to be released, with about P205 million currently held back pending legal arrangements.

In the meantime, CCMC continues to operate using only its first three floors, offering limited inpatient and outpatient services.

Archival said the goal is to move forward, but only with clarity and honesty.

“The money is there. The people are waiting. We owe them a hospital that’s finally finished, not just another construction site,” he said.(TGP)