New PhilHealth chief named
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has named a US-trained orthopedic surgeon and hospital executive as president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which made headlines recently after it was given zero subsidy in the 2025 national budget.
Edwin Mercado, who has 35 years of experience in hospital management, took his oath as the new PhilHealth chief before Marcos yesterday at Malacañang, according to the Presidential Communications Office.
He replaced Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., who was appointed to the state-run health insurer in July 2023.
Malacañang has yet to respond to media queries on whether Ledesma resigned or was removed from his post.
Mercado’s appointment was announced more than a month after the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition demanded the resignation of PhilHealth officials over their supposed failure to perform their mandate.
The labor group also decried the allocation of zero subsidy for PhilHealth in the 2025 national budget, saying it would lead to the deterioration of the country’s health situation.
With the removal of the subsidy, many Filipinos struggling to afford health care would find themselves “practically in hospital detention” because of their inability to pay hospital bills, the coalition warned.
PhilHealth was initially allocated a P74-billion subsidy in the 2025 national expenditure program, but the bicameral conference committee removed the item because of an unspent P600-billion reserve fund.
Marcos backed the subsidy removal, saying PhilHealth has enough budget for its operations even without subsidies.
He also instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure the continuous delivery of PhilHealth’s services even if the state-run health insurer was not given a subsidy in the 2025 budget.
The newly-appointed PhilHealth chief has been the vice chairman of the Mercado General Hospital/Qualimed Health Network since March 2021.
Mercado finished his doctor of medicine degree at the University of the Philippines in 1987 and earned his master of medical sciences in global health delivery at the Harvard Medical School in 2023. He also holds an executive master’s degree in health care administration