THE estimated P1.5 billion approved budget for the construction of the Cebu City Medical Center is only for the structure of the building.

This is what the Assistant City Administrator Annabeth Cuizon clarified after Cebu City mayor-elect Edgardo Labella’s pronouncement that the hospital still needs another P1 billion for its completion.

“Maybe because the facilities and equipment were not considered when the estimated P1.5 billion appropriated budget was approved,” said Cuizon.

She said the facilities, equipment and machines were not yet covered by the estimated budget.

“To make the hospital operational, we need hospital machineries and facilities,” said Cuizon.

Cuizon emphasized that the budget has not been fully given to the contractor. Instead it has been given per phases.

As of the record, the City Government already spent P847 million for the first and second phase.

The first phase, with a contract price of P567 million, covers the construction of the first six floors of the hospital.

In an interview on Wednesday, June 26, Labella said he would revert to the original plan to build a 10-story hospital instead of only six floors.

The second phase, which amounts to P283 million, covers the utilities such as plumbing, electrical, fire protection, mechanical, communication, and the structural finishes.

The City earlier announced it will open the first three floors of the hospital in Sept. this year.

The project was awarded to C.E. Padilla Construction Inc. after it won the bidding for the first and second phases of the construction that started in 2015 under the administration of incoming Cebu City vice mayor-elect Michael Rama.

Cuizon said that as far as she remembers the budget has not yet exceeded the P1.5 billion estimate.

She explained that if there is a surplus from the previous phase, it is utilized for the next phase.

She said the estimated budget may not be enough, as per the statement of Labella, because there are still materials that need to be considered.

Cuizon said it is already up to the next administration to continue the management of the construction to complete the 10-story building.

Construction of the new hospital began in 2015 after the old CCMC building, which was damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October 2013, was demolished. (JJL)