CCMC Electrical Safety Issues Persist Despite Mayor’s Assurance on Structural Integrity

CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival has assured the public that the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) remains structurally sound, even as electrical deficiencies flagged by volunteer engineers remain unresolved.

Archival issued the clarification on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, following a Sept. 29 executive session of the City Council, where engineers raised concerns about the hospital’s electrical systems, including its generator, grounding, wiring, bus ducts and installations that failed to meet required specifications.

“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 components were improperly installed or did not comply with technical specifications. The city government wants to ensure the safety of the hospital’s electrical systems before proceeding with the remaining construction work.

Archival stressed that the reported electrical problems should not be taken to mean that the entire hospital structure is unsafe. He pointed out that CCMC had been operating for about 10 years without a major structural incident.

Structural integrity

The mayor acknowledged that hairline cracks may have appeared after a typhoon but said Dakay Construction and Development Corp., the contractor responsible for Phase 4, assessed the building as 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 role in completing the remaining construction work.

However, the structural assessment does not mean that the electrical deficiencies identified during the technical review have been corrected. Archival acknowledged that some installations failed testing and certain components did not meet the required specifications.

During the Sept. 29 executive session, volunteer engineer Brian Pasilan, a member of the electrical audit team, described CCMC’s electrical condition as “very unsafe.”

Pasilan cited concerns involving the grounding system, generator synchronization panel, bus ducts and wiring. He also raised issues over incomplete testing and commissioning, which are necessary to determine whether electrical systems and equipment meet safety and operational requirements.

Contract review and investigation

Archival said the city government was exploring the formal termination of contracts covering Phases 3 and 4 while determining whether savings remained from the projects.

He said any savings would have to be declared and that the city would investigate the parties responsible for the deficiencies, particularly the installation of components that did not conform to specifications.

The review comes amid outstanding contractual, engineering and documentation concerns involving earlier phases of the hospital project.

In its 2025 Annual Audit Report, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged deficiencies in detailed engineering, contract time extensions that lacked sufficient supporting documentation, and missing technical records involving five CCMC infrastructure projects.

The projects had a combined cost of P1.13 billion against aggregate contract amounts totaling P1.904 billion.

COA directed the Department of Engineering and Public Works to submit the missing documents, justify the 574-day suspension of Phase 3, account for excess items under Phase 4, and assess unfinished contracts for possible termination, completion or takeover.

The continuing review highlights the distinction between the hospital’s structural integrity and the safety of its electrical installations. While Archival cited the contractor’s assessment to support his assurance that the building remains structurally sound, the electrical deficiencies and outstanding audit findings still require action from the city government.