After years of delay: CCMC works move forward

CEBU, Philippines — New hope dawned yesterday as Cebu City officials gathered for the groundbreaking event for the completion of the long unfinished Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

 Once envisioned as a beacon of public healthcare after the devastation of the 2013 earthquake, the project has instead stood for years as a monument to delay, controversy, and public frustration.

Mayor Nestor D. Archival led the ceremony on the fifth floor of the skeletal structure, vowing to finally deliver what successive administrations had failed to complete.

The event, attended by city officials, hospital administrators, engineers, doctors, and contractors, was marked by ceremonial shoveling that symbolized accountability and renewed determination.

The CCMC’s troubled history stretches back to its demolition in 2014, when the old building was declared unsafe following the 2013 earthquake.

What was supposed to rise as a modern ten story hospital quickly became mired in procurement disputes, leadership changes, and funding shortfalls.

 In December 2020, the hospital was formally inaugurated under the late Mayor Edgardo Labella, but only the first three floors were opened, with the ground floor serving as the Outpatient Department.

When Mike Rama returned as mayor, he attempted to revive the project he had once championed, but structural defects uncovered during inspections prevented full operations.

The Cebu City Government and contractor M.E. Sicat Construction, Inc. mutually agreed to terminate their ?907–908 million contract for Phase 4 of CCMC, awarded in April 2022 to complete the shell of the 10 story building. Mayor Rama announced the cancellation, citing delays and inefficiency.

In June 2025, outgoing ascended mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who was defeated by Archival in the last elections, awarded a ?700 million contract to Dakay Construction and Development Corporation for Phase 5 of the project, covering the third to seventh floors, with a target completion of 240 days.

Archival, who campaigned on a promise to finish CCMC, inherited not only the unfinished structure but also the findings of volunteer engineers who, in October 2025, validated ?403 million worth of structural defects from earlier phases. The repairs and completion were estimated to require as much as ?1.1 billion more.

Against this backdrop, Archival’s groundbreaking carried both symbolic and practical weight. Visibly emotional during the pouring of cement, he admitted the moment was tied to his campaign promise.

“People have been asking me where it is. For six months, nothing moved. Now it’s here. Although late, it’s real,” he said, adding that he had pressed contractor Engr. Ricky Dakay to complete the project by December 2026 so it could be operational by January 2027.

The mayor underscored the urgency of expanding capacity. At present, CCMC can only accommodate about 150 beds, often stretched to double occupancy, forcing many patients to seek care at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center or private hospitals.

 “Our data shows more than half of our patients come in with primary illnesses—fever, cough, flu. Yet our limited capacity forces us to send tertiary cases elsewhere. With 400 to 500 beds, we can finally cater to our own constituents, both in the city and upland barangays,” Archival explained.

Archival announced the creation of a dedicated oversight team composed of city engineers and technical experts to monitor construction, acknowledging that earlier reviews had flagged rectifications needed in the basement and lower floors.

He stressed that transparency and accountability would guide the process, echoing his earlier remarks that the delays and reviews were necessary to safeguard public funds.

The ceremony was attended by councilors Harold Kendrick Go, Sisinio Andales, Nice Archival, Winston Pepito, Michelle Abella Cellona, Jose Abellanosa, ABC President Franklin Ong, Department of Health Regional Director Dr. Joshua Brillantes, and other stakeholders. Their presence underscored the collective resolve to move the project forward.

For Cebu City, the groundbreaking was more than a ritual. It marked a dramatic turning point in a saga that has tested public patience for over a decade.

With strengthened oversight, council support, and renewed determination, the city government now seeks to transform CCMC from a symbol of inefficiency into a fully functional medical facility that will expand access to healthcare and reinforce Cebu City’s healthcare system. (CEBU NEWS)