Councilor Dave Tumulak urged Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. to hire an independent project management consultant to oversee the completion of the 10-storey Cebu City Medical Center, which remains unfinished after a decade.
The city aims to complete Phase 5, a P700 million contract, by December 2026 to allow for partial operations in 2027, alongside planned investments of P400 million for structural rectifications and P300 million for equipment.
City Council members expressed concerns over project delays, with Councilor Joel Garganera questioning the root causes and Councilor Sisinio Andales suggesting potential administrative cases before the Office of the Ombudsman for those responsible.
IT HAS been more than 10 years since construction first began on the 10-storey Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), yet the public hospital remains unfinished. Now, city leaders are demanding answers and looking for urgent ways to finally get the doors open for residents who need medical care.
During a city council meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, Councilor Dave Tumulak urged Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. to hire an independent project management consultant (PMC). Tumulak believes an outside expert is needed to oversee the remaining work on the long-delayed hospital.
Tumulak described CCMC as one of Cebu City’s most important infrastructure projects. He emphasized that the unfinished building continues to leave local residents without quality public healthcare.
“Healthcare is not merely another government service. It is a fundamental right. Every day that the CCMC remains unfinished is another day that thousands of our constituents are deprived of the quality public healthcare they deserve,” Tumulak said.
He stressed that the issue is no longer about assigning blame, but about finding a professional solution to complete the project.
Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed skepticism about the proposal. He noted that there is still no comprehensive working program for the hospital, despite following the project for decades.
“That’s asking for magic,” Osmeña said.
Despite the doubt, Tumulak remains hopeful that the hospital can finally be finished by 2027. He explained that an independent PMC would handle tasks like project monitoring, schedule management, contract administration, quality assurance, risk management, and regular progress reports.
“Every peso spent on CCMC represents the hard-earned taxes of our people. We owe it to every taxpayer that this investment be protected through sound project governance and professional management,” Tumulak added.
Tumulak, who chairs the Committee on Budget and Finance, revealed that Dakay Construction and Development Corp., the contractor for the current phase, has completed less than 30 percent of its assigned work. He explained that government bureaucracy often slows down these projects, and a PMC could help keep things on track.
Other council members demanded to know what is taking so long.
Councilor Joel Garganera questioned why the 10-storey hospital is still a work in progress. “Ten stories ra ni siya pero it’s been more than a decade already. What’s the root cause of all of this?” Garganera asked.
Councilor Philip Zafra referred the issue to the Committees on Infrastructure and Health. He requested a comprehensive status report from the Department of Engineering and Public Works, the CCMC administration, the City Planning and Development Office, and the Office of the City Administrator.
Councilor Sisinio Andales also asked for clarity on the delays. He stated that those responsible should be identified and that administrative cases should be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman if the evidence supports it. However, he also wondered if hiring another PMC would truly guarantee the project gets finished.
These discussions come just weeks after the Archival administration resumed Phase 5 construction of the CCMC. This phase focuses on completing the fourth through seventh floors, with the fourth floor holding operating rooms and the upper floors used for patient wards.
The city targets full completion of Phase 5 by December 2026, with partial operations starting in early 2027. The Phase 5 contract is worth more than P700 million.
Additionally, the Cebu City Government plans to spend another P400 million for structural rectification works. They are also seeking P300 million from the Department of Health for medical equipment, including MRI and X-ray machines, laboratory tools, dialysis machines, hospital beds, and patient monitoring systems.
The reconstruction of CCMC originally began after the first hospital building was declared unsafe following the 2013 Bohol earthquake. More than a decade later, after facing setbacks with procurement, contracts, technical complications, and shifting city administrations, the community is left waiting to see if this vital lifeline will finally become a reality. CAV with Mi Kizziah Reeve Tantog, UP Cebu Intern