CIVIL works for the latest phase of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) construction have encountered another setback after Mayor Nestor Archival uncovered the absence of complete and detailed plans.
Archival said the contractor cannot proceed with the civil works without these documents.
In an interview on Monday, July 28, 2025, Archival requested Dakay Construction and Development Corp. (DCDC) to submit the necessary plans before work resumes. This came after the City Engineering Office discovered that crucial documents were lacking.
In December 2024, DCDC won the contract for Phase 5 of CCMC with a budget of P700 million during the administration of then-mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.
The contract signing and awarding were completed a few days before the change in administration following the local election.
“Na-award na nila before ko ni-assume og office and ang NTP (notice to proceed) nahatag na. Nangayo na gani sila og downpayment. Ako na gipasa sa engineering department ug naa silay comment nga naay mga pinakadako nga kulang kay walay kompleto nga plano,” Archival said.
(They had already awarded it before I assumed office and the NTP had already been given. They even asked for a downpayment. I passed it to the engineering department and they commented that there were major deficiencies because there was no complete plan.)
Phase 5 covers the completion of the interior partitions on the third to fifth floors of the City-owned hospital within 240 days.
Despite submitting the program of works and estimates, Archival said the crucial documents for implementation were not attached.
“Of course, unsaon nimo pagsugod (og trabaho) kon dili kumpleto ang imong plano (how can you start working if your plan is not complete)?” said Archival.
At present, only three floors of the planned 10-story building are operational. The fourth through seventh floors lack interior partitions, while the eighth through 10th floors have yet to be constructed.
The City Government has spent more than P1 billion on the project since reconstruction began more than a decade ago. The old two-story structure was damaged during the 2013 earthquake and was demolished in the following year.
The CCMC became operational in December 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Upon assuming office, Archival expressed concerns about previous work at the City-owned hospital, citing a lack of clear and transparent goals and accomplishments in earlier phases.
Completing the CCMC was among his campaign promises, but he said there were concerns that rushed completion without clear plans could lead to further problems and additional budget allocations.
According to figures of the Department of Engineering and Public Works, the City Government has spent a total of P1.138 billion on civil works at CCMC since 2014. This includes P566 million for Phase 1, P36 million for Phase 1.1, P299 million for Phase 2, P99 million for Phase 3 and P136 million released from a P916 million contract for Phase 4.
Phase 5 was previously awarded to M.E. Sicat Construction under Phase 4, but that contract was terminated in November 2022 due to delays. / EHP