THE former Cebu City Quarantine Center (CCQC) has been eyed as a temporary office for the judiciary following findings that the Qimonda I.T. Center is unsafe for occupancy after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, in a press conference on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, offered the use of the CCQC, located at Block 27 in North Reclamation Area, Cebu City, after the Supreme Court’s Office of the Court Administrator sought the city’s assistance.
Visible cracks and damage were found at the Qimonda building following the earthquake that struck Cebu on Sept. 30.
“What we are trying to do now is accommodate their request to use the CCQC. It’s a large area and can fit their operations…They can start occupying it as early as tomorrow,” Archival said.
Archival said the Supreme Court (SC) will send a courtesy letter within the week to formalize the request and outline the terms of the arrangement, including the duration of their stay (which could run from six months to one year while rehabilitation works at Qimonda are ongoing), and how utilities and other logistical matters will be managed.
Archival said he also asked the SC to furnish Gov. Pamela Baricuatro a copy of their correspondence to ensure proper coordination in the use of the facility.
Currently, all the hearings are being conducted online.
The CCQC, located at the NRA, was originally established during the Covid-19 pandemic as a quarantine and treatment center.
It has since been repurposed for various government programs and emergency use.
Earlier this month, a joint assessment conducted by the Office of the Building Official, the City Engineering Department, the building’s private engineers, and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office found the Qimonda I.T. Center to be “risky” for occupancy after sustaining structural damage from the recent earthquake.
Councilor Dave Tumulak, who chairs the city’s disaster council, earlier recommended the immediate evacuation of all offices and personnel from the building to allow for repairs.
He said the structure remains “repairable” but will require extensive rehabilitation expected to last around three months or more.
The Qimonda I.T. Center has served as the temporary home of the Cebu City courts since 2013, after the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that year rendered the Marcelo Fernan Palace of Justice unsafe. / CAV