Tom to CH: Account for CCMC donations

CEBU, Philippines - Where is the money the city raised to help fund the rehabilitation of the Cebu City Medical Center?

This was the question of former mayor Tomas Osmeña in a press conference yesterday, alleging that the city failed to document the funds properly.

Osmeña was referring to the proceeds of the “Piso Mo Hospital Ko” campaign the city launched in 2013 and the funds Mayor Michael Rama reportedly raised from the United States.

“Mr. Rama announced that he raised P900 million. Where is the money now? It’s gone. Capital G, capital O, capital N, capital E, it’s gone,” Osmena said.

The city launched the “Piso Mo Hospital Ko” campaign after the old CCMC building was found unfit for occupancy following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Central Visayas and was recommended to be rebuilt.

The city-run hospital was demolished in February 2014 to pave the way for the construction of a 10-story building with a budget of P1.5 billion.

In an interview yesterday, City Treasurer Cuevas said all donations are in the city’s trust fund. She said that as of yesterday afternoon, donations have reached at least P18 million.

In a December 2014 story, The Freeman reported that the city raised P16.3 million a year after the campaign was launched shortly after the earthquake.

Cuevas also said at that time that the amount was deposited under the city’s trust fund.

Of the P16.3 million, P2.5 million was raised by foreign communities and entities such as a P1-million donation from Vriendschapshand of Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands; P460,0009 from Kaohsiung City in Taiwan, P600,90000 from Xiamen, among others.

At that time, too, Rama said he won’t stop begging for donations to raise the projected P1.5 billion to build the new CCMC building.

“The mayor would not mind if others will belittle me as professional beggar as long as our hospital will rise again for our poor constituents. When I start, I will proceed and I will never stop,” Rama has said.

CCMC hospital chief Dr. Gloria Duterte also encouraged would-be-donors to help the city rebuild the hospital.

Osmeña is running against Rama for mayor in the May elections. — (FREEMAN)