Rama wants CCMC in SRP

CEBU City Michael Rama wants the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) to be built on a three-hectare lot at the back of the San Pedro Calungsod chapel at the South Road Properties (SRP).

But instead of building a 1,000-bed hospital, Rama wanted to start with a 500-bed facility estimated to cost P252 million, his executive assistant Jose Daluz III told the Cebu City Council.

Daluz presented the proposed hospital design before the City Council in yesterday morning’s budget hearing with instructions from Rama to defend the executive department’s budget request for the proposed hospital.

Rama’s P10.5 billion budget proposal for 2014 was prepared ahead of the Oct. 15 earthquake and did not include an appropriation for construction of a new hospital building.

It only included a P172.4 million budget request for the supposed renovation of the old hospital building located along N. Bacalso Avenue.

Expansion

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said in an earlier interview that the P172.4 million appropriation, if approved by the council, may later be realigned to help fund the hospital construction project.

“I have personally talked to the mayor and he wanted to have a 1,000 bed (hospital) but we will implement this by phase (and start by building a 500-bed facility),” he told the council.

A picture of the hospital’s facade which Daluz presented to the council show a six story building to be built on a 9,000 sq. meter lot.

An expansion project could be implemented soon when more funds are available, Daluz said.

The hospital building will be separated by a road from the SM property, part of which is occupied by the Calungsod chapel.

Committed

Hospital goers, he said, will also be using the SRP service road located near the Mambaling access road.

Daluz said the hospital construction project may start during the first quarter of 2014 after the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) completes its Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) for submission to the council.

He said they could start the project using the P172.4 million allocation in the 2014 budget together with another P100 million from the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH committed to allocate P500 million from their 2014 budget for the CCMC construction project. The amount will be released in tranches. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac