Archival orders temporary  halt to CCMC work

CEBU, Philippines — Following his long-awaited review of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) contract covering the third to sixth floors, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. disclosed that the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) could not locate the primary construction plan for the project.

As a result, Archival has ordered a temporary halt to construction until the missing documentation is recovered.

When he assumed office as the top official of Cebu City, one of Archival’s campaign promises to fulfill was to complete the long-disputed CCMC building.

According to Archival, before his administration took over the Cebu City government, the contract to complete the third to sixth floors had already been awarded to a contractor, along with the corresponding Notice to Proceed (NTP).

Currently, Archival noted, the contractor is already requesting a down payment.

However, during his review with DEPW, Archival said city engineers raised several concerns, including the missing primary construction plan.

“Akong gipasa ngadto sa engineering naa silay comment nga naay mga, ang pinakadako nga ilang gipangita walay kompleto nga plan,” said Archival.

“So mao na karon naa nay gipatan-aw kung asa na anh plano. Mangayo ta og plano nila kay unsaon nila pag trabaho kung walay tarong nga plano?” he added.

He explained that although the Programs of Work and Estimates (POWE) are already in place, the detailed plans upon which the construction should be based are missing. This has raised red flags among engineers involved in reviewing the contract.

Due to this, Archival has temporarily halted any progress related to the project.

Reports stated that while Archival Sr. welcomes the development of having a contractor for the CCMC’s completion, he emphasized that he will personally oversee its progress, but only after a thorough review of the contract.

In an interview with the media, Archival acknowledged that completing the CCMC is one of his campaign promises, which he now intends to fulfill.

It can be recalled that prior to leaving office, former Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced the winning bidder for the ?700 million contract to complete the CCMC, which covers the third to seventh floors of the structure.

Although Archival acknowledged that awarding the contract to Dakay Construction is a welcome development, he stated that he needs to first review the contract's specific inclusions.

“Kay akong gikuyawan, inig deliver nila sa ilang P700 (million), mao ragyud gihapon, di gahapon mahuman, basin atop or whatever ra ilang ibutang,” Archival previously said.

He stressed that one of the key elements he will scrutinize is the scope of work, saying this is critical after what he described as being "blinded" by the progress in the first, second, and third phases of CCMC construction.

He noted that these phases still left several hospital rooms and division works unfinished, while the elevators remain without a power generator set.

Archival added that a detailed review of the contract is necessary to ensure that no additional budget requests will be made later to cover incomplete portions of the project.

It can be recalled that Garcia named Dakay Construction as the winning bidder for the controversial CCMC project, despite an unfinished City Council investigation into the project's delays and issues.

Garcia signed the contract with Dakay, which allows for a 240-calendar-day construction period, equivalent to eight months. He clarified that the agreement only covers the third to seventh floors, and completing the remaining upper floors will require a separate contract, which he intended to leave to the incoming administration.

The project’s budget is approximately ?700 million, an amount left from the previous construction before it was halted. Garcia also clarified that the inclusion of the seventh floor involves applying the final touches.

The Cebu City Council then was in the midst of investigating the issues and delays surrounding the CCMC project, an inquiry that began following a privilege speech by then-Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos. This led to a series of executive sessions to review the project's processes.

During the ongoing investigation, several City Council members questioned the seemingly hasty bidding process, despite the fact that executive sessions to address project concerns were still underway.

In response, Garcia maintained that the decision was not rushed, emphasizing that the CCMC project has already been delayed for ten years.

Additionally, it was reported that the eighth to tenth floors were originally intended to be funded through private donations initiated under the administration of then-mayor Michael Rama.  — (FREEMAN)