Archival resets CCMC opening, targets partial operations by early 2027

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mayor Nestor Archival on Tuesday publicly reset the operational timeline for the long-delayed Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

He said the hospital would only partially open in the first quarter of 2027 as his administration works simultaneously to complete upper floors and repair structural deficiencies in the lower levels.

In his first State of the City Address (SOCA), Archival acknowledged that defects discovered on the building’s first three floors forced the city to adjust its rollout strategy, even as it pushes to finish the upper floors by the end of 2026.

“We have problems on the first, second, and third floors. We will finish the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, then transfer some of the activities there while we rectify the first to third floors. We hope that by the first quarter of 2027, it will partially open na siya,” he said.

(Particularly because we have problems on the first, second, and third floors. We will complete the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors, transfer some hospital operations there while we rectify the first three floors. We hope that by the first quarter of 2027, it will already be partially open.)

READ: 12 years on, Cebu City still seeks answers over CCMC delays

He added that his administration still intended to complete the project before the end of its three-year term.

“We promised this would be completed before our term ends,” Archival added.

Timeline shifts from full to partial operations

This is the latest refinement of the city’s earlier timetable. The administration continues to aim for the completion of the structural and architectural works on the fourth to seventh floors by December 2026.

However, Tuesday’s announcement clarified that hospital operations will initially remain partial while engineers continue rectification work on the basement and first three floors.

READ: CCMC ‘most corrupt,’ Tomas says; Council seeks project audit

The phased opening allows the city to begin transferring hospital services to the newly completed upper floors instead of waiting for the entire building to pass the final completion.

Structural defects altered construction strategy

The revised timeline stems from an independent technical audit that Archival ordered shortly after taking office in July 2025.

The six-month audit uncovered about P400 million worth of structural deficiencies in portions of the building previously reported as complete. Those findings prompted the city to suspend construction temporarily and redesign the implementation schedule.

Rather than proceed with the original 10-story expansion, the administration also scrapped plans to construct the eighth to 10th floors to prioritize completing the fourth to seventh floors and opening additional hospital space sooner.

Construction resumed in early 2026 after the audit, with the city awarding a P700-million Phase 5 contract to Dakay Construction and Development Corp. to complete the upper floors.

Hospital aims to ease overcrowding

Once operational, the expanded CCMC will significantly increase its capacity from around 150 beds to between 400 and 500 beds, helping reduce chronic congestion that has forced some patients to share beds or seek treatment elsewhere.

The city continues to seek approximately P300 million for medical equipment, including MRI machines, dialysis units, and other specialized facilities needed before the hospital can fully operate.

Council seeks closer oversight

Archival’s updated timeline came just days after the Cebu City Council ordered another inquiry into the decade-long reconstruction project.

Councilors referred the matter to the committees on Infrastructure and Health after Budget Committee Chairman David Tumulak disclosed that the current construction phase remained below 30 percent complete and urged the city to hire an independent project management consultant to oversee the remaining works.

The proposed investigation will require officials from the Office of the Mayor, the City Engineer’s Office, CCMC management, and the project’s contractor to explain the hospital’s current status, remaining work, and implementation timetable.

The CCMC reconstruction began after the 2013 Bohol earthquake rendered the old hospital building unsafe. Originally scheduled for completion in 2015, the project has suffered repeated delays due to contract disputes, procurement issues, changes in project scope, and missing engineering documents.

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