CCMC building to open in December

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has announced that the opening of the first three floors of the new 10-story Cebu City Medical Center will push through next month.

“Mahinayon gyud ang atong opening sa first three floors as promised… December, mag-opening gyud ta sa CCMC,” Labella said in a press conference Friday.

(The opening of the first three floors will push through as promised. We will open in December.)

Labella said the first three floors will house the out-patient department, emergency room, and some ward rooms. Several equipment will also be stationed there, including x-ray machines and CT scan machines.

Even with construction experiencing delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Labella has expressed optimism that the first three floors will be operational by yearend.

“Hopefully, before the end of the year or early next year, we can already, at least the three floors to be operational,” Labella said earlier.

City Attorney Floro Casas, Jr. echoed Labella’s announcement on the opening.

He also clarified that the images of the building that came out in The Freeman were those from the sixth floor and the reason why they look undone is because construction work is concentrated on the first three floors at present.

Casas said 200 workers are on site 24/7 to complete the first three floors in time for the opening next month.

“I was informed by the DEPW (Department of Engineering and Public Works) that they are on schedule, so we are expecting,” he said.

Earlier, Vice Mayor Michael Rama opposed the opening of the first three floors, saying it will be dangerous considering construction would still continue in the upper floors.

The hospital's old building had to be demolished after it incurred massive damage during the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Central Visayas in 2013. It was in June 2015 when C.E. Padilla Construction, Inc. was given the green light to start the construction of the first phase of the project amounting to P514 million. — Mary Ruth R. Malinao, JMO (FREEMAN)