Expert tells City council: ‘CCMC very unsafe’

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which city officials had hoped to be completed by December, faces renewed uncertainty after experts tagged the city-run hospital as “very unsafe” and identified numerous discrepancies and substandard installations during a City Council executive session yesterday.

The proceedings were further complicated by the absence of two key offices—the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW)—which were expected to shed light on the hospital’s construction issues.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, chair of the committees on health and budget, described their nonappearance as “fishy,” stressing that the council had convened precisely to hear from them.

COA’s presence was considered crucial because it had previously flagged several issues involving the CCMC and was expected to clarify matters needed to move the construction forward.

Without COA, councilors were left without the agency expected to provide an authoritative assessment of whether billions of pesos in public funds had been properly spent.

Tumulak revisited the project’s timeline: Phase I was awarded in 2015 to C.E. Padilla Construction for P514.9 million; Phase 1.1 in 2020 to Charly Construction for P36.1 million; Phase II in 2019 again to Padilla for P283.4 million; Phase III to C.B. Garay Philwide Builders for P99.8 million; Phase IV in 2022 to M.E. Sicat Construction/AVECS JV for P907.9 million, which was later terminated; and Phase V in 2025 to Dakay Construction for P683.9 million.

Despite P1.8 billion already spent, deficiencies remain unresolved, with rectification costs estimated at more than P400 million.

DEPW, meanwhile, was expected to review and validate the technical findings presented by volunteer engineers, as well as other construction-related concerns that had emerged over the years.

One engineer had already resigned, while the department head, Engr. June Nadine Sison, whom Tumulak did not name during the session, opted to attend a Bids and Awards Committee meeting instead of appearing before the council.

“The head of the office itself wa gyud magseryoso ani. Kini seryoso kaayo ni. Ang mga tao nag-expect,” Tumulak said, expressing his disappointment.

Later in the day, Tumulak told The Freeman that the other engineer expected to attend was Engr. Lowell Corminal, assistant city engineer.

“mi resign kay nadawat siya sa Supreme Court. last day niya ugma (today) na busy daw turn over,” Tumulak said.

Some DEPW personnel were present but were not authorized to speak during the session or shed light on the CCMC concerns.

Experts flag safety issues

The absence of the two offices cast doubt on the proceedings, while Engineer Brian Pacilan of the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc., representing the volunteer electrical audit team, presented alarming findings.

Pacilan told the council that the hospital was “very unsafe as of now,” citing the absence of a reliable grounding system, incomplete generator synchronization panels, misaligned busduct installations, and the use of PVC conduits instead of the metallic conduits specified in the plans. He noted, however, that some corrective measures had already been implemented.

He added that emergency standby wiring remained temporary and that biomedical equipment had begun malfunctioning because of electrical hazards.

He said the building remained unsafe in terms of both fire risk and exposure to electrical shocks.

Councilor Alvin Arcilla moved to cut off the live broadcast, warning that the technical discussions could be misinterpreted by the public.

Tumulak resisted, insisting that transparency was paramount.

“This is not to create panic, but to tell the truth. How safe is it? The experts themselves are saying it is unsafe,” he said, pressing for the session to remain open.

Engr. Pericles “Ricky” Dakay, CEO and president of Dakay Construction and Development Corp., echoed Pacilan’s concerns and acknowledged that Phase V had been affected by defective work from earlier phases.

He said numerous items needed repair or outright replacement because of substandard workmanship.

Dakay cited compromised structural elements; electrical and mechanical systems requiring replacement; plumbing and piping installations that did not conform to specifications; finishing works that failed quality checks; and elevators and generators that needed urgent repair before the hospital could become fully functional.

“There are a lot of items that need to be repaired, items that need to be replaced because of substandard and defective work,” he said.

Dakay also said there were parts his team could not correct without COA’s go-ahead.

Osmeña calls for repairs

Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña urged the council to separate accountability from the urgent need to make the hospital operational.

“We can take five years to discuss who is responsible for the screw-up of CCMC, but if the elevators aren’t working, the people will suffer,” he said.

He called for immediate action on essential facilities such as elevators and generators while legal and financial disputes are being resolved.

“The damage is already done, so what we have to do is at least address immediate work and get some key repairs done,” Osmeña added. — (FREEMAN)