Tumulak: Practical, professional solution needed to finish long-delayed CCMC

Local

CALLING the long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) a promise the city owes its people, Councilor Dave Tumulak urged the city government to hire an independent project management consultant to help ensure the hospital's long-awaited completion and prevent further delays.

In a privilege speech on Tuesday, June 30, Tumulak said the 12-year-old hospital reconstruction has reached a point where professional project oversight is needed to address the technical, contractual, and implementation issues that have repeatedly stalled the project.

"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 proposal was not about assigning blame but about finding "a practical and professional solution" to complete what he described as one of the city's most important infrastructure projects.

The old CCMC building was vacated after a strong earthquake in 2013 rendered it structurally unsafe. Reconstruction began shortly after, but the project has since been beset by contract disputes, administrative transitions, missing documents, and repeated construction delays.

Tumulak said large and complex infrastructure projects are commonly supervised by professional project management consultants, who provide independent oversight to ensure projects remain on schedule, within budget, and compliant with engineering standards.

He said such a consultant could oversee construction scheduling, contract administration, quality assurance, risk management, coordination among contractors and city offices, and regular progress reporting.

"Considering the complexity of the remaining works at CCMC, the engagement of a project management consultant is no longer simply an option—it has become a necessity," he said.

Tumulak added that every peso spent on the project comes from taxpayers and should be protected through sound project governance.

"This is no longer simply an infrastructure project. It is a promise made to the people—a promise of better healthcare, compassionate public service, and a promise that the government can deliver," he said.

The proposal prompted council members to question why the project has remained unfinished more than a decade after reconstruction began.

Councilor Harry Eran asked Tumulak to clarify his earlier statement that the current contractor had accomplished less than 30 percent of its assigned work.

"As chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, I always monitor all projects," Tumulak replied, adding that based on his understanding, the contractor's accomplishment remained below 30 percent.

Councilor Joel Garganera also pressed for the root cause of the prolonged delays.

Tumulak responded that the implementing department should explain the setbacks but maintained that independent monitoring could help determine what continues to impede the project and keep construction on track.

He expressed hope that CCMC could finally be completed by 2027, saying sufficient funding has already been allocated for this year and potentially next year.

Councilor Sisinio Andales questioned whether hiring another consultant would solve the project's longstanding problems.

He also objected after Tumulak remarked that government bureaucracy contributes to delays.

"I don't agree with your statement that we should accept bureaucracy in government," Andales said, calling it an unfair characterization.

Tumulak later clarified that his point was to encourage the executive department to consider another layer of professional oversight that could independently assess project implementation.

The discussion briefly turned heated after Tumulak referred to Andales as "Mr. Clean," a remark that was later stricken from the record, with Tumulak issuing an apology.

Presiding Officer Tomas Osmeña also weighed in, criticizing what he described as poor management of the hospital project over the years.

Osmeña questioned why city officials were seeking another consultant when, according to him, the project still lacked a complete program of works.

"We have a very long history with CCMC," he said, adding that multiple contractors had already handled the project over the years.

"If you want to hire an expert consultant, you're asking for magic. First of all, how can you work on anything if there's no program of work?" Osmeña said.

He also urged the council to invite the city administrator and the mayor to explain the project's current status.

Following the discussions, Councilor Philip Zafra moved to refer the matter to the City Council committees on infrastructure and health.

The committees are expected to conduct an inquiry into the project's status and invite representatives from the mayor's office, the City Engineer's Office, and CCMC management to explain the remaining work and implementation timeline.

Councilor Alvin Arcilla proposed inviting Dakay Construction Company, the project's current contractor, while Councilor Mikel Rama sought to include the Committee on Laws to review existing contracts related to the hospital's reconstruction.

The discussions came less than a week after Mayor Nestor Archival inaugurated the fifth phase of the hospital's reconstruction, signaling the resumption of work following nearly a year of suspension due to incomplete plans and missing technical documents.

The current phase, funded through a ₱700-million contract awarded to Dakay Construction Company, is targeted for completion by December 2026, with full hospital operations expected to begin by February 2027.

The resumption followed an independent technical audit ordered by the City Council in 2025 after several structural and "as-built" plans could not be located.

Once completed, the expanded CCMC is expected to increase its capacity from around 150 beds to as many as 500, helping ease congestion and reduce patient referrals to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

The reconstruction of the city-run hospital was originally targeted for completion in 2015 but has faced years of delays due to contract disputes, procurement issues, changing project scopes, and documentation problems.(TGP)