Councilors: Hasten CCMC construction

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has called on the executive department to hasten the construction of the new building for the Cebu City Medical Center.

The old CCMC building was demolished over a year ago after it was damaged severely by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 2013.  Councilor Sisinio Andales said despite the allocation of budget for construction, the plan to have it rebuilt still remains a “dream.”

The extensive delay, he said, is already a wakeup call for the executive department to act instantaneously.

 “We dream to construct a 10-story hospital. But, is it still a dream or not? Wake up! It has been a year already,” Andales said in a privilege speech during the Council’s regular session yesterday.

Up to almost P700 million, including the P600 million annual appropriation, P12.6 million donation from the Association of Barangay Councils, P37 million from the “Piso Mo Hospital Ko” fundraising drive and other pledges, were purportedly set aside to commence the rebuilding since last year.

“Despite the budget appropriated for the project, there is even no shadow of the building. Being a resident of Barangay Pahina Central, where the old hospital used to stand, are we really dreaming to have a hospital? Why he’s so quick in demolishing it even if we can’t construct it right away? It should be retrofitted instead,” Andales said.

Just recently, CCMC expanded its operations up to the former City Traffic Operations Management Building located along N. Bacalso Avenue, just a stone throw away from where the old building was located.

 The former CITOM building, which now serves as the main facility of CCMC annex at the BFP compound, is seen to accommodate 100 more beds from its current 108-bed capacity, servicing internal medicine and surgery departments.

The city hospital’s capacity dropped to 108 beds from 300 since it moved to the BFP compound, still along N. Bacalso Avenue.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo agreed that the project should be fast tracked but said the bidding process may take a longer time.   Councilor Alvin Dizon, for his part, said “the CCMC project which is left unanswered is de-service to our constituents. I believe we need concrete answers from the mayor in the spirit of transparency (as to the construction).”

The Council tasked the committee on health headed by Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos to check on the status of the construction “to put an end to quandary.”

 Sought for comment, CCMC Special Bids and Awards Committee chairman Atty. Jose Marie Poblete said the representative of the end user or requistioner, CCMC medical services director Dr. Gloria Duterte, should initiate the procurement.

“The mandate to procure needs some preliminary acts from the end user or requisitioner before the procurement can proceed,” he said. — (FREEMAN)