The construction of a P70 million “super” health center in Atab, Baguio City, has been halted due to legal concerns, according to city officials.
City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña stated that the project was suspended entirely following a ruling by the Baguio Regional Trial Court (RTC) in favor of private landowners, which has led to the shutdown of the project.
With the future of the health center uncertain, the city is now considering reallocating the funds to other health centers currently in development.
“We are trying to talk to the DOH (Department of Health) to see if we can revert the funds, divert them, because once this matter enters court it will take more than a year to resolve. If we can divert the funds instead to our project health center at the Slaughterhouse,” Dela Peña said.
The suspended health center, partially funded by the DOH, was estimated at P70 million, nearly three times the cost of its predecessor in Barangay Aurora Hill, which was established earlier in 2023 at a cost of P28 million.
In addition to the P70 million allocated for the infrastructure, another P5 million was set aside for purchasing equipment for the health center.Funding for the Atab center was sourced from the DOH through the Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP), which also provided P10 million for the Aurora Hill super health center. However, only P13 million of the Atab center’s funding came from the DOH, with the city shouldering the remaining P57 million to establish the facility.
