Controversy surrounds delayed P400-M JASMMC annex

Eight years after construction began, a planned seven-story annex for the Justice Abad Santos Memorial Medical Center (JASMMC) remains an abandoned excavation site, raising structural safety fears among nearby property owners and leaving local healthcare capacity strained.

Occupants of neighboring structures, including the hospital's Teachers Condominium, nearby high school buildings, and private properties, expressed concern that ongoing soil movement from the deep excavation could compromise their building foundations and lead to structural failure.

"We noticed movement in our building after the second phase started, which consisted entirely of digging for concrete foundations," a resident near the site said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.

The P400-million project was launched during the administration of former Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada under the supervision of former City Engineer Roberto Bernardo.

Designed as a 100-bed facility, the expansion aimed to double the capacity of JASMMC, which serves over 500,000 residents across Binondo, Sta. Cruz, and the densely populated Parola port district.

Records show that P200 million was initially released for Phase 1, followed by another P100 million for Phase 2. However, despite P300 million in disbursements, work on the site remains stuck at the excavation phase.

Internal sources indicated that only P39 million remains in the project's allocated budget due to ancillary expenditures, making it highly unlikely that the remaining funds will cover raising the seven-story structure.

Contractors for the project were Great Pacific Builders for Phase 1 and Amethyst Horizon Construction for Phase 2. Both firms have been linked to business owners Sarah and Curlee Discaya.