Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival clarified that the Cebu City Medical Center is structurally sound according to Dakay Construction, despite volunteer engineers flagging unsafe electrical deficiencies.
Volunteer engineer Brian Pasilan deemed the hospital's electrical condition "very unsafe" during a Sept. 29 session due to issues with the generator, grounding, bus ducts, and improper wiring installations.
Archival said the City is exploring contract terminations for Phases 3 and 4, investigating responsible parties, and addressing COA findings on missing documents and deficiencies across projects costing P1.13 billion.
CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival maintained that the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) is structurally sound but acknowledged that electrical deficiencies identified by volunteer engineers remain a concern.
Archival issued the clarification on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, following a Sept. 29, City Council executive session where volunteer engineers raised concerns about the hospital’s electrical systems.
The findings cited problems involving the generator system, grounding, wiring, bus ducts and installations that did not conform to specifications.
Assessment
“The unsafe part is that if we install or continue using those components without correcting them, that would be unsafe,” Archival said.
He explained that some installations were improperly fitted or failed to meet required specifications, adding that the City wanted to ensure the safety of the hospital’s systems before proceeding with the remaining construction work.
Archival disputed the impression that the entire hospital structure was unsafe, noting that the facility had been operating for about 10 years without a major structural incident.
Integrity
He acknowledged that hairline cracks may have appeared following a typhoon but said an assessment by Dakay Construction and Development Corp., the contractor handling Phase 4, found the building structurally sound.
“If it were not structurally sound, the contractor would not want to continue with the project because it is the last phase,” Archival said, referring to Dakay’s responsibility for completing the remaining work.
However, the structural assessment did not establish that all deficiencies identified in the technical review had been resolved. Archival acknowledged that some installations failed testing and certain components did not meet the required specifications.
During the Sept. 29 executive session, engineer Brian Pasilan, a member of a volunteer electrical audit team, described the hospital’s electrical condition as “very unsafe.” He cited problems involving the grounding system, generator synchronization panel, bus ducts, wiring, and incomplete testing and commissioning.
Investigation
Archival said the City was exploring how to formally terminate the contracts covering Phases 3 and 4 while determining whether savings remained from the contracts.
He said any savings would have to be declared and that the City would investigate who was responsible for the deficiencies, particularly the use of installations that did not conform to specifications.
The review comes amid unresolved contractual and engineering issues from earlier hospital phases, which have complicated current work. In its 2025 Annual Audit Report, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged detailed engineering deficiencies, unsubstantiated contract time extensions and missing technical documents across five CCMC infrastructure projects costing P1.13 billion against P1.904 billion in aggregate contracts.
COA directed the Department of Engineering and Public Works to submit missing documents, justify a 574-day suspension of Phase 3, account for excess items under Phase 4 and evaluate uncompleted contracts for possible termination, completion, or takeover. / CAV