CCMC demolition draws tears, gladness

CEBU, Philippines - Employees went emotional as the city government started yesterday the demolition of the 45-year-old Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) building.

Teresita Figuracion, 62, head of the housekeeping department for five years, shed tears upon seeing the heavy equipment slowly destroying the structure the structure

“Sakit para nako ang pagguba sa CCMC nga parte sa akong kinabuhi. Pinangga kaayo nako ang CCMC kung mahimo di ko mouli (It pains me seeing the old CCMC go. It has become like second home to me),” Figuracion said.

CCMC Chief of Hospital Gloria Duterte shared the same sentiment, having served the hospital for the past 34 years.

“Kami mismo nagguol kay dugay na pud mi diha (We are saddened, as we occupied the old CCMC for a long time already),” she said

She and Figuracion, though, were glad that the people’s hospital will soon rise again.

“Di lalim ang pagpatukod og hospital sa pobre. Nalipay ko kay matabangan na usab ang mga pamilya nga kabus (It is not easy to build a hospital for the poor.  That is why I am happy it would be built again),” Figuracion said.

The new hospital building will rise on CCMC’s current 500-square-meter location at the corner of N. Bacalso Ave. and Panganiban St.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is planning to submit a supplemental budget (SB) early next month to finance the construction of the hospital.

Experts declared CCMC unsafe for occupancy following the powerful earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol last Oct. 15.

Rama is set to meet the City Council and the local finance committee to discuss the possible amount to be allocated for CCMC.

“If we can have P1 billion, why not, but we cannot ask for P1 billion because we have also other priorities or other obligation that the city needs to respond to,” he said, adding that documentation for the SB must be finished within this month.

Yesterday, during the 77th Cebu City Charter Day celebration, the CFI Community Cooperative, through its founding president Esperanza Garcia, donated P1 million for CCMC.

Rama thanked those who contributed their “piso” for CCMC during the ceremonial condemnation of the old building. It was right after the floral offering at the bust of Don Vicente Rama at nearby Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) compound.

The City Treasurer’s Office has already collected over P11 million through the “Piso Mo Hospital Ko” fund drive.

The city has also has received numerous contributions from several donors, including Kaohsiung City in Taiwan ($10,000 US or P460,000); Dallas, USA ($1,000); two Chinese nationals (P700,000); private entity (P50,000); Operations Smile (P100 million); Xiamen in China (P600,000); Chong Hua hospital (P1 million); SM Prime Holding Inc (P5 million); Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (P500,000); Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (P100,000). — /RHM (FREEMAN)