A MEMBER of the Cebu City Council has urged the Cebu City Executive Department to address the issues surrounding the construction of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) before the rebidding of proposed civil works to complete the hospital begins Monday, Dec. 23, 2024.
The Bids and Awards Committee is set to initiate the rebidding process for the finishing works on the CCMC’s fourth to sixth floors on Dec. 23. Once the finishing works are completed, these improvements are expected to expand the hospital’s services and increase its patient capacity.
City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, in a phone interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, Dec. 20, said she understands the need to rebid the City’s savings of around P700 million to complete the interior works for the new CCMC building from the third to sixth floors.
However, she urged Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia to prioritize resolving the existing issues or following “the right process” before proceeding.
These include settling the City’s unpaid obligations with previous contractors. De los Santos said the contractors who worked on the CCMC have already demanded payment due to City Hall’s delayed release of payables.
This involves canceling the contract with M.E. Sicat Construction Inc. and Avecs Corp. for CCMC’s Phase 4 through a “gentlemen’s agreement.” Meanwhile, C.E. Padilla Construction Inc. (Cepci) is also demanding P110 million payment from City Hall, she added.
De los Santos said that with the upcoming rebidding, it may be possible to include the payment of these unpaid obligations in the budget allocation for the upcoming Program of Works and Estimates.
She also urged the executive department to hire a competent expert in hospital construction, noting that the Department of Engineering and Public Works lacks the expertise required for such a specialized project.
De los Santos said the current status of the previous contractors’ accomplishments remains unclear and unaccounted for.
SunStar Cebu earlier reported that four contractors have worked on the new CCMC building. Charlz Construction handled Phase 1.1 of the project, while Cepci worked on Phases 1 and 2. Garay Philwide Builders managed Phase 3, and M.E. Sicat Construction handled Phase 4.
The CCMC project has been under construction since 2015, spanning nearly a decade and four administrations, yet its completion remains uncertain. / EHP
