CCMC crowdfunding to end next month

CEBU, Philippines - The would-be donors for the "Piso Mo, Hospital Ko" fundraising campaign will only have until December 15 to help fund the reconstruction of the Cebu City Medical Center.

The city government has decided to end the crowdfunding activity to also put an end to "insinuations."

Mayor Michael Rama, however, said the city government will continue to accept donations from non-government organizations, charitable institutions, and other civic and government agencies.

"Instead of having the noble drive, atong gitan-aw na kun i-continue we might able not to track down the amount and there will be more insinuation that may cause a muddled matter," he said.

The city has raised a conservative amount of about P30 million from the fund-drive including the P12.6 million shelled out by the Association of Barangay Councils, said City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas.

 The amount is on top of the P13.6 million and $36,000 (P1.58 million using an exchange rate of P44 to a dollar) donations.

The 13.6 million includes the P1-million donation from Vriendschapshand of Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands and around P70,000 from Elizabeth Hotel Cebu, Kaohsiung City in Taiwan ($10,000 US dollars or P460,000), Xiamen  (¥100,000 or P600,000), among others.

 The total amount raised, however, is still not enough for the projected P1.5 billion project.

Rama said he will convene the CCMC ad hoc committee to discuss on the strategies how to get additional donations from other countries.

Rama is expecting more donations to come in January from the sister cities of Cebu.

The "Piso Mo, Hospital Ko" movement was launched on Oct. 21, 2013 following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that ruined the city-run hospital. The 52-year-old building was subsequently demolished in February.

 Rama has directed the City Treasurer's Office and the City Public Information Office to collect all bottles or receptacles placed in different educational institutions, pharmacies, government offices, markets, among others for final accounting.

For transparency, he said the amount generated from the piso fund drive will be published. (FREEMAN)