From the Netherlands, China: Sister Cities raise funds for CCMC

CEBU, Philippines - Two sister cities of Cebu City - Haarlemmermeer in the Netherlands and Xiamen in China - have helped raise funds for the rebuilding of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Mayor Michael Rama said Xiamen has donated ¥100,000 or P600,000 to the city even weeks before the Sinulog.

Xiamen became Cebu's sister city by virtue of an agreement signed on October 26, 1984 during the term of then mayor Florentino Solon.

Meanwhile, Haarlemmermeer Mayor Theo Weterings told Rama that HDC media, a publishing house that publishes several newspapers in the Netherlands, has started raising funds for CCMC.

The city-run hospital has been declared unfit for occupancy after it incurred massive damage following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook Central Visayas on October 15, 2013. Aside from the hospital, the earthquake also damaged several churches in the province and destroyed historical churches and tourism sites in Bohol.

Cebu City is yet to receive feedback from Haarlemmermeer on the amount of funds raised.

The city has launched the "Piso Mo, Hospital Ko" fundraising drive for the hospital's rebuilding. The project has already generated close to P10 million, but this does not come close to the P1.5 billion estimated amount needed to build a 1000-bed capacity hospital.

Meanwhile, in a letter dated November 26 addressed to Rama, Weterings said Vereniging Haarlemmermeer Cebu (VHC), a charity the Netherlands has formed in Cebu, has also started raising funds after super typhoon Yolanda wrecked parts of the Visayas, including northern Cebu in November 2013.

Weterings said VHC has already collected €35,000 to help Cebu. The Netherlands has empathized with the city with the latter's efforts in accommodating typhoon survivors from Leyte. 

"The municipality of Haarlemmermeer donated €50.000 immediately, and will double the result of the collection up to another €50.000. With the help of  RAFI and ERUF we will make sure that these fundings will end up at the right places, in the shape of food, shelter and medicines," Weterings' letter reads.

Early this month, the Cebu City Council decided to rebuild the hospital on its present location along N. Bacalso Avenue, which is a 500-square meter lot, shutting down plans to build at the South Road Properties. The plan was set aside owing to a policy of the Department of Health (DOH) not to allow government hospitals to be built near bodies of water.

Dr. Shawn Espina, a general surgeon and lead convenor of CCMC's Championing the Advancement, Restoration, and Establishment (Care) movement, also said earlier that it is advantageous that the hospital will be constructed on the same site because the location is accessible, has commercial traffic, and near available utilities.

About two weeks ago, Architect Nikko Espina who designed a new building for the hospital, told the City Council that the city may spend lesser than what was projected.

Espina said his design for the main hospital and consolidated government offices will cost only P1 billion.

This amount does not include the budget for equipment and facilities but will reportedly cover the cost to demolish the old hospital building, the construction of a new five-story CCMC and integrated buildings, and contingency projects.

Espina's design will use P600 million to build the new hospital and the "one stop service center" that will integrate the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), CCMC school of nursing, Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), the city government's command center, and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, among others.

Close to P100 million will be utilized for the temporary BFP and CCMC school of nursing building, and the demolition of the old CCMC, and for rehabilitation and installation of drainage.

Espina said the construction of the buildings and the realignment of Panganiban road would take at least four years to finish and if construction will begin this month, the two buildings will be completed by the end of 2017. — /JMO (FREEMAN)