CCMC building ‘corrections’ still ongoing

CEBU, Philippines —  A year after the contractor for its remaining three floors backed out from the project, "corrections" are still being done on the existing floors of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

This is what Dr. Peter Mancao, CCMC chief of hospital, revealed as he expressed the urgency for the last three floors (eight to 10th floors) to be already done since they need to set up more hospital beds.

He said CCMC would not have enough wards for patients if only the existing floors are available.

“Naay pay pending pa nga program of works nga wa pa nahuman.. Naa pay gipangtiwas ang mga previous contractors,” he said told The FREEMAN.

He said that while the previous contractor is doing the alignment corrections so that construction of the remaining floors could proceed, deciding who would build the said floors and the funding is still being ironed out.

November last year, M.E. Sicat Construction sent a letter to the City Government for the mutual termination of the P907-million contract to build the remaining three floors of CCMC.

The contractor experienced problems with the building's column alignment and could not immediately proceed after being awarded the contract on April 6, 2022.

Unable to bear with the delay in finishing the construction of the building, which was started in 2015 during his previous term, Mayor Michael Rama threatened to terminate the contract, prompting the letter from M.E. Sicat.

Mancao said M.E. Sicat already stopped working on the building, although a few of its equipment still remain inside.

As to funding for the construction, Rama already secured pledges for it to proceed.

He said finishing the last three floors is important, especially the 10th floor, which would be the ward for patients.

Aside from this, Mancao said, the three floors should be done as soon as possible so the hospital elevator could already be installed.

“If dili mahuman ang shell (of the building), dili mataod ang elevator.... Bisan ang service elevator lang sa. Let us say mahuman ang fourth floor, ang mga pasyente unsaon man nila pagsaka?” he said.

At the moment, CCMC management only utilizes the first three floors of the building, with only 220 beds for the patients.

With the seventh floor reserved for Operation Smile Philippines, the other CCMC floors would be for the delivery room and the operating room complex, among others. /RHM (CEBU NEWS)