President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday confirmed the resignation of former PhilHealth chief Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., saying the latter struggled with the political aspects of the role.
“He told me he was having a hard time with all the… He’s not used to politics,” Mr. Marcos said in a Palace briefing.
“Manny Ledesma comes from the private sector, so I think he found the transition to be jarring,” he added.
The President said the leadership change at PhilHealth was driven by the need for expertise in healthcare administration and digitalization. He added that the newly appointed PhilHealth President Dr. Edwin Mercado brings extensive experience in hospital administration and health insurance, making him well-suited for the role.
“His whole life has been devoted to healthcare… After the oath-taking, we had a long discussion. I wasn’t the one advising him—he’s the expert. I asked him, ‘What do you think needs to be done?'” Marcos said.
The chief executive said their conversation immediately focused on digitalization, noting that while PhilHealth provides good service, processing claims and applications remains slow due to manual procedures.
“That’s why digitalization became a priority… But beyond that, he also has many ideas on making PhilHealth services more inclusive, expanding coverage, and improving financial support,” Marcos said.
