DEFECTS in the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) have been identified by an investigation committee. These include columns that are not straight, peeled surfaces and substandard beams.
Mayor Michael Rama said in a press conference on Monday, April 24, 2023, that City Hall can now proceed with the works, adding that they “have done” their “homework with regard to the construction of CCMC.”
The defects were divulged Monday in a press conference by the investigation committee led by South Road Properties Management Office head Roberto “Bo” Varquez. The committee formed by Rama held from Feb. 13, 2023 to March 30 its probe on CCMC’s construction, checking its entire structure and quality of each floor.
Rama said, “It is time to move forward.” However, he did not give a specific date when the construction works will begin.
City Hall will create a project management team to plan, fix and work for the completion of the new CCMC building, which Rama targets to be done “as soon as possible.” Works on CCMC’s eighth to 10th floors have been stalled following City Hall’s termination of its P907 million contract with M.E. Sicat Construction Inc.
The team will be formed within a month, according to investigation committee’s consultant Pericles Dakay, chief executive officer of Dakay Construction and Development Corp. (DCDC).
Dakay said his company will not be involved in completing CCMC.
Recommendations
Dakay recommended the following to fix some of the identified defects:
Provide epoxy-bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer wrap or strip for the columns that were found to be inadequate;
Correct surface defects including honeycombs, bug holes and shrinkage cracks; and
Repair peeled and shallow concrete surfaces.
Volunteers
Varquez said he is currently collaborating with contractors such as C.E. Padilla Construction Inc., C.B. Garay Philwide Builders, and M.E. Sicat Construction Inc. These contractors have pledged to carry out the necessary retrofitting and repairs at no cost to the government.
In Phases 1 and 2, C.E. Padilla served as the contractor, while C.B. Garay Philwide Builders and M.E. Sicat worked on Phase 3 and Phase 4, respectively.
A March 23 SunStar report revealed that a total of P60 million has yet to be paid to the two contractors: P40 million for C.E. Padilla and P20 million for C.B. Garay, which completed the first three floors before they became operational in 2021.
The unpaid amount is for variation orders for C.E. Padilla and C.B. Garay. In a construction project, a variation order refers to any changes to the scope of work, planning and specification, or contract documents.
City Administrator Collin Rosell said the City would pay its unpaid balances.
Rama has said the construction of CCMC would be completed without any cost to the City. Four Filipino private firms and a group of Chinese businessmen have pledged to donate close to a billion pesos to the City to complete the construction of CCMC’s remaining three upper floors.
Once the construction works at CCMC resume, safety precautions will be strictly implemented to ensure the safety of patients, construction workers and the public, according to Dakay. He added that barriers and safety nets would be installed, and there should be safety officers present.
The old CCMC building was demolished in 2014 after it was declared unsafe for occupancy after it was hit by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake of 2013.