Newly-installed Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Acting President and Chief Officer Emmanuel R. Ledesma emphasized the need for greater teamwork and collaboration among its officers and employees.
He made the statement during his first-ever address at the helm of the state-run agency.
"We're in the same team magtulungan tayo (that's why, let's help each other), let's all work together and move forward together," Ledesma stated in his brief message during the agency's nationwide virtual flag raising ceremony on Monday, Nov. 28. There, he urged employees to "work together... with the hospitals, together with the doctors".
"Join us, (let us) pull ourselves together. We have (a) common enemy...sickness, there is no one else," he added.
Ledesma mentioned this referring to the various diseases and health conditions for which Filipino patients need financial support to cover the costs of treatment and care.
Hospitals and other healthcare providers are important partners of the agency in realizing the objectives of the National Health Insurance Program, foremost of which is to "provide health insurance coverage and ensure affordable, acceptable, available and accessible health care services for all citizens of the Philippines".
Ledesma was appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as Acting President and Chief Executive Officer of PhilHealth and Expert panel member of the agency's board of directors. He was sworn into office by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin in simple rites in Malacañang Palace on Nov. 24.
He earned his degree in Bachelor of Science in Economics, with a concentration in Management, at the University of the Philippines. He also has a Master's Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Finance, Management and Strategy, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management - Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
He previously served as President and CEO of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corporation for five years. PSALM Corporation, like PhilHealth, is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC). Thereafter, Mr. Ledesma went into power and energy consultancy.
His expertise lies in banking and corporate finance, with decades of work experience in both local and international banks, including the Philippine Commercial International Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, and PCI Capital Corporation. He is likewise an expert in wealth management, after having served as Director/Vice President of Morgan Stanley and Co. Inc., Private Wealth Management Group, for 12 years.