The contractor of the P64 million Mega Health Center project in Macanhan, Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City has said that they were forced to stop construction after the city government allegedly failed to pay them on time.

The contractor, Nurben Engineering and Building Construction, said they started the work in March 2024 after they received the 15 percent mobilization fund.

The fund allowed them to develop the project site and install steel structures.

However, they claimed that the local government failed to release the payment when they submitted their second billing, which was equivalent to 20 percent of the project cost.

“It was already signed by the mayor, 20% na yun na availability of the funds. Umabot po ng more than two months, hindi na kami na-release-san ng bayad, hindi po kami nabayaran,” Nurben Engineering and Building Construction Sole Proprietor, Engr. Benjamin Hamid, said.

Hamid said they decided to suspend work after waiting for more than two months with no payment.

“That is not our fault, it’s their fault. They failed to pay us in due time,” Hamid added.

The local government and the City Engineering Office have yet to respond, as of this writing.

The local government said earlier that the contract was terminated on August 11, 2025 after the project was not finished due to lack of commitment from the contractor.

The local government said it was supposed to be completed in January 2025. However, the work stopped suddenly, and the contractor abandoned it for several months, prompting the local government to issue notices.

“Sa kalit gibiyaan ni giundangan so delay for how many months naghatag kita notice niini wala gihapon nila tumana wala nila trabahoa kining pag construct niini pagpadayon so nag notice napud tag third notice. Wala naman tay choice ang atong mahimo ani is gi-abandon gyud sa contractor in short mao na nahitabo karon nga naa tay termination well in fact terminated na kani nga project since August pa,” said Joel Momongan, head of the City Engineering Office.

The local government is set to reopen the bidding for the project in November or in early December 2025.