How will the CCMC project move forward? City Council to seek clarification from COA

Local

THE Cebu City Council is now asking the Commission on Audit (COA) to clarify what the city government must do to legally move forward with the construction of Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) Phase 5.

The request came during an executive session Tuesday, Sept. 29, where councilors discussed the remaining technical and contractual issues affecting the project.

Councilor Mikel Rama moved for the Sangguniang Panlungsod to formally request COA to issue explicit guidance on the specific requirements and procedural steps the city must fulfill before it can legally resume construction of Phase 5.

The motion was seconded and approved without objection.

The request comes as the council works to address deficiencies identified in earlier phases of the medical center project, which have affected the implementation of Phase 5.

Engr. Ricky Dakay of Dakay Construction said his company started work on Phase 5 on Feb. 12, 2026, and was not involved in the implementation of Phases 1 to 4. He said, however, that the earlier work affects Phase 5 because the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems are interconnected.

“The whole building is a system,” Dakay said, explaining that Phase 5 cannot operate independently from the earlier work.

Dakay said his company’s contract covers only Phase 5 and does not include correcting deficiencies from the earlier phases.

He cited several issues encountered in the previous work, including problems with air-conditioning units and refrigerant piping, electrical installations, plumbing systems and fire protection components.

Some electrical installations, for instance, did not conform to specifications for essential areas such as operating rooms, intensive care units and emergency rooms.

Plumbing works also showed concerns involving pipe specifications, testing, supports and required slopes.

Dakay said the fire protection system also had components with corrosion, incomplete assemblies and other deficiencies that needed to be addressed.

Despite these issues, he said construction of Phase 5 has continued in areas that are not affected by the deficiencies or subject to audit observations.

Structural concrete topping and steel matting on the third and fifth floors were already 100% complete, while the fourth floor was about 80% complete and expected to be finished within the week. Concrete hollow block laying and plastering were also 100% complete on the third and fifth floors and about 80% complete on the fourth floor.

Other works, including stiffener columns and lintel beams, nurses’ stations, the vehicle ramp, electrical rough-ins, common-area lighting and plumbing and fire protection works, were also progressing.

Dakay said the project could not be fully completed, however, without resolving issues carried over from the previous phases.

He said additional costs could also be incurred to address defects, substandard works and omissions from earlier phases, although he could not quantify these because they are outside his company’s Phase 5 contract.

“We are only limited to Phase 5,” Dakay said.

The council also heard an assessment of the medical center’s electrical systems from Engr. Brian Pasilan, an electrical consultant and volunteer technical expert.

Pasilan presented findings from an electrical audit conducted around August to September 2025, which identified deficiencies involving power cables, transformers, grounding, switchgear, generator systems, busducts, distribution panels, conduits and testing and commissioning records.

He previously described the electrical condition as posing “serious hazards and power reliability concerns.”

During the session, however, Pasilan also acknowledged that corrective measures had since been undertaken in the hospital’s operations and that some of the identified hazards had already been addressed.

The council’s executive session was sponsored by Councilor Dave Tumulak.

The resolution sought guidance on possible legislative intervention and remedial measures for the CCMC construction, including the rectification of engineering deficiencies, defective workmanship, overlapping project scopes and the financial implications of necessary corrective work.

It also raised the possibility of recommending to Mayor Nestor Archival, through the city’s newly created Contract Termination Review Committee, a review and possible official termination of Phases I to IV.

With the council’s action Tuesday, COA will be asked to clarify the legal and procedural requirements that the city must meet before determining how Phase 5 can proceed.

The guidance is expected to help the city address the unfinished and interconnected works from the earlier phases while determining the appropriate steps for the ongoing Phase 5 contract.(TGP)