Archival on CCMC status: 1 year to finish construction  

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City mayor-elect Nestor Archival said he is looking to complete the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) within one year through a highly capable entity—not the city government while vice mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña believes the national government should finish the project.

Archival said auditing the CCMC will be one of his first steps, as health and hospitalization are among his top priorities.

“Ako usa ka engineer, akong gitan-aw unsaon. E-audit unsay kakuwangon, unsay pagabuhaton,” Archival said.

The mayor-elect explained that if the budget is sufficient, they will proceed, adding that his target is to complete the hospital within a year.

“That will be including the beds, medicines, equipment needed and everything. In short, we want to complete CCMC in one year so that we can serve our constituents,” Archival said.

However, he emphasized that the construction will not be handled by the city government’s manpower.

“Sige tag himog project walay katapusan. Like CCMC, 12 years na, wapa nahuman. Dungan man tang tulo (with two private hospitals in Mandaue), after two years, human na sila. Kita, 12 years after, three floors pa ta. Klaro nga indication that we don’t have the capacity to do a hospital nga kitay mu-build. I think there should be somebody who will handle it para siya maoy mutan-aw nga mahuman gyud on time,” Archival said.

On the other hand, Osmeña said he supports the proposal of former congressman Bebot Abellanosa to entrust the CCMC project to the national government.

Osmeña, in an interview with reporters during the proclamation of winners of the just-concluded National and Local Elections, said he is inclined toward Abellanosa’s approach.

“I’m more inclined to the thrust of former Congressman Abellanosa where we should give it to the national government,” Osmeña said, while frankly saying that the “CCMC is a joke...a very sad joke on the expense of the people.”

He said they had the Marcelo Fernan Bridge built for P2.2 billion, while CCMC has already cost P3 billion and remains unfinished.

“It is ridiculous,” Osmeña quipped.

He added that the hospital is also built on the road, making its construction supposedly illegal.

“Nestor has to solve that… I’m not looking into the details, it’s up to him,” Osmeña further said, adding how the CCMC, in all honesty, cannot be the “best hospital” in the city. Otherwise, he said, private hospitals would have already closed down.

“That’s a wrong approach… The role of the government is to provide service in the regular hospital… Don’t be better than them because everybody will come over to you… We have to apply and spend money as wise as possible,” Osmeña said. — ATO (CEBU NEWS)