CCMC construction to affect residents: Talks on possible aid to affected families set

CEBU, Philippines - Concerned agencies will convene to discuss possible assistance that can be extended to families that will be affected by the construction of the new Cebu City Medical Center building.

The city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works will be meeting with the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) and the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) to discuss financial aid or relocation site to the 10 affected families.

The ongoing construction of the new hospital building will involve destroying the perimeter wall in Barangay Pahina Central, which will affect at least 10 houses.

“Concerns raised by the residents on relocation and disturbance pay were not considered in the construction scheme because this is an unexpected situation,” DEPW chief Engineer Jose Marie Poblete told reporters yesterday.

He said the wall has to be removed to give way to heavy equipment.

“We are not clearing the houses for the sake of demolishing them. These are only situations wherein their houses will be affected by the project,” he added.

After the meeting with DSWS and DWUP heads, DEPW will meet once again with the affected families to discuss plans or the possible assistance that the city can provide.

The CCMC project team has initially convened with the families last Sunday.

One of the affected residents is Amy Gonzales, who has lived in the area for almost 17 years. She owns a mini-store situated at her two-storey house.

She said the city assured to provide them disturbance pay before they would demolish the wall, although the exact amount was not mentioned during the meeting.

“Dawaton ra kaayo na namo (ang disturbance pay.) Sa ako kay okay ra na ipabalhin lang sa mi kay nipasalig man pud sila nga ibalik mi diri basta naa lang temporaryo nga relocation,” Gonzales said.

The perimeter wall will be reconstructed once the foundation of the hospital is finished.

“Ang nasabotan sa meeting kay kinahanglan mi mohatag og 1.5 meters setback. Okay ra man mi tungod kay sa gobiyerno man ning yuta. Makabalik ra man inig human og guba (sa wall.),”said Negil Borlasa, another affected resident.

Borlasa, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said it will be an advantage for them if the wall is reconstructed as this will prevent them from further harm brought about by disasters such as earthquake.

Meanwhile, CCMC has received P1 million worth of hospital equipment from Netherlands’ Vriendschapsband Haarlemmermeer – Cebu delegation.

Peter Janssen, a nurse and one of the VHC board members, said the group decided to collect money from the people and local government of Haarlemmermeer following the supertyphoon Yolanda and the earthquake, both in 2013.

“We decided as a board to give to CCMC not to have it for a new building but want to give it to the patients. We decided to purchase for medicine or hospital equipments. We gave money for CCMC and asked the hospital director to use it for the patients. They decided to buy beds, and we saw them,” he said.

Cebu City and Haarlemmermeer share an active sister-city relationship.  (FREEMAN)