The city administration’s long-standing plan to establish a state-of-the-art Mandaue City College (MCC) and upgrade the Mandaue City Hospital (MCH) is set to move forward this year after both projects were included in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on Jr. said implementation of the projects is expected to begin toward the end of the first quarter, following the completion of preparatory requirements.
Under the 2026 GAA, Mandaue City Hospital secured P415 million in funding, while more than P450 million was allocated for Mandaue City College.
“Katong vision sa Mayor (Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano) nga Mandaue City College ug ang upgrade sa Mandaue City Hospital, masugdan na gyud this year, hopefully towards the end of the quarter,” Malig-on said.
However, he clarified that the amounts reflected in the GAA do not yet cover the total funding requested by the city government, noting that several pledges from national officials are expected to be released in phases.
Earlier, the city announced it had secured around P1.5 billion in funding pledges for the modern city hospital and the new MCC campus following Ouano’s visit to the Senate in August last year to seek support for the city’s priority infrastructure projects.
Malig-on emphasized that senators’ pledges are only considered confirmed once they are reflected in the GAA.
Among those who pledged support for the projects were Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, and Raffy Tulfo. Mandaue City Lone District Representative Emmarie “Lollypop” Ouano-Dizon also committed funding support.
Malig-on said a significant portion of the approved budget in the GAA was attributed to the allocation endorsed by Congresswoman Ouano-Dizon, adding that the city has yet to receive the official breakdown identifying which senators’ allocations were included.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will serve as the implementing agency for both projects.
To ensure quality planning, particularly for the hospital, the city government is currently undertaking a detailed engineering design (DED), which will be adopted and implemented by the DPWH.
The DED is being funded by the city government and is still ongoing, Malig-on said, noting that hospital planning is more complex compared to the college project.
“Malipayon ang atong Mayor ug si Cong. nga matuman gyud ang ilang damgo para sa mga Mandauehanon ug para sa Mandaue,” he said.
Once implemented, the projects are expected to upgrade Mandaue City Hospital into a Level II hospital and establish the MCC’s new campus at Norkis Park in Barangay Looc.
The existing MCC is currently located within the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex in Barangay Centro.
While only the first phases of the projects are funded this year, Malig-on said the allocations are sufficient to begin construction.
“Kaning initial budget, based sa initial feedback, kaigo ni siya sa first phase, katong unang building sa hospital,” he said, adding that the facility can already be utilized once the initial structure is completed even as further development continues.
He also assured the public that operations at the existing Mandaue City Hospital will not be disrupted during construction.
Construction of both projects is expected to start this year after the completion of the detailed engineering design and the DPWH procurement process. (VCL)
