DR.

JOSE FABELLA
Term : January 1941 - 1945
He was the first Secretary and Executive Officer of the Public Welfare Board from 1914 - 1921 and was the Public Welfare Commissioner before he became the first Secretary of Health and Public Welfare in 1941. He was regarded as the foremost exponent of maternity and child health as well as social work in the country during his time. As Public Welfare Commissioner, he started the coordination and regulations of various welfare services including the operation of puericulture centers. In 1922, he opened a school of midwifery, which is the forerunner of the Maternity and Children s Hospital in Manila, now called the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. In 1925, he laid the plan for the development of the children s village and now known as Welfareville. Child health surveys and studies on the common Filipino diet were conducted under his leadership. This facilitate the preparation of standard height and weight chart for the Filipino children. He started the Child Health Day and Healthy Baby Contest and Clean-up Week. His administration as Secretary of Health and Public Welfare was abruptly interrupted because of illness. He spent a life of retirement in his home. He died on January 16, 1945.

Dr. Basilio Valdez

Term : 1945
He Graduated from the University of Santo Tomas College of Medicine in 1916. He started his career as a military surgeon shortly after his graduation by joining French Red Cross, later the American Red Cross during World War I. After the war, he became a Red Cross Commissioner and was assigned to various countries. In 1919, he was forced to return to Manila due to illness. He briefly went to private practice and teaching but joined government as First Lieutenant and medical Inspector in the Philippine Constabulary in 1921. He rose to become Lieutenant Colonel and Chief Surgeon in 1926 and became the first Commissioner of Health and Public Welfare in 1932. In 1934, he became Brigadier General Chief of Staff of the Philippine Constabulary. In 1936, he became Major General and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army. When the Constabulary separated from the army in 19 38, Gen. Valdez became the PC Chief. He was instrumental in obtaining the land where Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo are now located. In 1939, Gen. Valdez was re-appointed Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army. In 1941, while the seat of the Commonwealth government he was also appointed as Secretary of National Defense. Since he was also President Quezon s attending physician, he was forced to join the Commonwealth cabinet in exile in the USA where he helped lobby for Philippine independence. In 1944, President Osmea re-established Commonwealth government in Tacloban, Leyte in February 1945, appointed Gen. Valdez as Secretary of Health, in addition to his duties as Secretary of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army. As Secretary of Health and National Defense, he organized the services of the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) which brought in food, medicines, vitamins and other supplies from the US Medical Corps. His Red Cross training in the past was quite useful to him all throughout the war. The PCAU organized food distribution centers in Manila and the Province. He relinquished his post as Defense Secretary in April 1945. He retired for government service as Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army when President Roxas took his oath of office in July 4, 1946. He went back from teaching jobs and private practice and help establish the Lourdes Hospital in 1950.

Dr. Jose Locsin

Term : 1945 1946
He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas College of Medicine. He became Municipal Mayor of Silay, Negros Occidental for two terms then a member of the Provincial board from 1922-1925 and Provincial Governor from 1925-1928. He became a representative from 1928-1931 and the delegate of the first district of occidental Negros to the Constitutional Convention of 1934. For 10 years, he served as the Secretary of the sugar planter s association and representative of the Liga de la Proteccion de la Infancia in the province.

DR. Antonio villarama

Term : 1946 1950
He was the first Secretary of Health under the Philippine Republic. He started as an Assistant Resident Physician in Obstetrics in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in 1920. Before becoming Health Secretary, he was in politics as a Member of the 1934 Constitutional Convention and a member of the Philippine Assembly and House of Representatives from 19351946. While in Congress, he authored the legislation creating the Department of Health and Public Welfare in 1939. The 1947 reorganization during his administration resulting in the transfer of the Bureau of Welfare and the PGH to the Office of the President and the creation of the Bureau of Hospitals under the Department of Health. The Alabang Vaccine and Serum Laboratory was also transferred from the Institute of Hygiene to the DOH thus making vaccine and sera available at low cost. The joint cooperative project agreement between the DOH and US Public Health Service was signed and implemented within his term. This project involved extensive rehabilitation programs as sanitation, health education and information, food inspection, smallpox vaccination, sanitary engineering, tuberculosis and leprosy control, maternal and child health and nutrition programs.

DR. juan salcedo

Term : Sept. 1950 May 1954
Dr. Salcedo was an instructor in Physiology of the University of the Philippines from 1929-1936. After which he became a Captain in the Medical Corps of the Philippine Army until 1939. He was a professor of Biochemistry at UP and was doing a fellowship study in Nutrition and Biochemistry in the US when World War II broke out. After the war, he became a researcher in health and social welfare, Health and Welfare Officer and then director of Public Welfare before he joined the US public Health Service as Consultant in Nutrition and Director of field Operations in 1947. He was director of the Institute of Nutrition since 1948 before he was appointed Secretary of Health with his appointment, the Institute of Nutrition was transferred to the DOH and a major rice enrichment program was initiated. BCG vaccine production was increased to meet local demands for mass BCG campaign. BCG was also exported to neighboring countries. During his term the Philippine-American Public Health Project was submitted which resulted in the construction of 81 demonstration Rural Health Units in 1953. There were also various WHO-assisted disease control projects and UNICEF-assisted MCH projects and fellowships during his term. In May 1952, he became the first Filipino elected as President of the WHO World Health Assembly (5th (WHA).

Dr, paulino Garcia

Term : 1st Term: June 1954 - June 1958 | 2nd Term: December 1965 - August 1968
He was the only Secretary, thus far, who had two terms of office. He was Chief Radiologist of the X-ray Center of the University of Santo Tomas before his first term as Health Secretary in 1954. His term continued with the passage of the Rural Health Act of 1954 that institutionalized the RHU system, which was demonstrated so successfully during Salcedo Administration. Various projects assisted by US agencies, the WHO and UNICEF continued during his term. The Reorganization Act of 1953, which was implemented only in 1958, resulted in massive decentralization through the creation of regional, provincial and municipal health officers. He was the Chairman of the National Science Development Board before he was reappointed Secretary of Health in 1965 after 3 quick changes of Secretaries. His second term coincide with the acceleration of immunizations against cholera, smallpox and diphtheria. Smallpox was considered eliminated in the Philippines at about same time.

Dr. Elpidio Valencia

Term : July 1958 - December 1961

He was a private practitioner in Radiology before his appointment as Secretary of Health. His wife was a daughter of former President Osmea. He championed the cause of tribal minorities and launched Operation Tribal Minorities believing that those who have more should help those who have less in life . His project tried to bring the benefits of modern medicine to tribal groups and rural areas. Secretary Valencia visited various tribal communities in isolated villages distributing medicines, food, soap and clothing.

Dr. Francisco Duque

Term : December 1961 - July 1963
Dr. Francisco Quimson Duque, Jr., a resident of Aguilar, Pangasinan, was born on September 24, 1916. He graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas College of Medicines in 1939 and did postgraduate studies in General Surgery at the Mayo Clinic USA in 1947. He was the owner, director and surgeon of the Dagupan City Polyclinic Hospital before he became Secretary of Health in January 1962. During his term, he encouraged full participation and support of private enterprises in the implementation of various health initiatives of the government. He promoted health research, environmental and health sanitation, and health programs emphasizing the importance of a healthy community. He was very affectionate towards the welfare of his countrymen, especially the underprivilege sector. In 1962, the Philippine Sweepstake Magazine interviewed Dr. Duque who stated that there are two types of medical care existing in the country, one for the rich and one for the poor: "Many people die when they could be saved because of lack of money. I hate to see the poor getting less treatment", he said. This inequity led him to conceive a plan that would extend adequate medical and health care services, especially to indigents. It included the identification offree medical care beneficiaries, a medical system for the middle income group and systematization of national aid for provincial hospitals. The same year, with the support of the Philippine Medical Association, he laid down the groundwork for his vision of social health insurance for all Filipinos through the congressional enactment of the National Health Service of the Philippines.

Dr. Floro Dabu

Term : July 1963 - December 1964
He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas College of Medicine in 1938. He was connected with the Department of Health in Camarines Sur shortly before the war and went into private practice after liberation. He trained in the USA on various fields like Pediatric Cardiology, Otolaryngology, and ophthalmology. He was owner and director of the Dabu Eye and Ear Clinic in Naga City before he became Secretary.

Dr. Manuel Cuenco

Term : December 1964-December 1965
He was a graduate of University of Santo Tomas. He was Governor of Cebu from 1946 1951and Administrator of Overseas Employment Council in 1962-63 before he was appointed Secretary of Health. He was the son of former Senator Mariano Cuenco. With assistance from the US Agency for International development has emphasized upgrading of medical education.

DR. AMADEO H. CRUZ

Term : August 1968 December 1971
In contrast to the Secretaries of Health who immediately preceded him Dr. Amadeo H. Cruz rose from the ranks. He started as the President of a Sanitary Division in the bureau of Health in 1930. He was Medical Officer then Chief of the Epidemiology and Statistics Section of the Bureau of Health, chief of the Division of Preventable Diseases and then Chief of Field Operations. He was Director of Health Services before his appointment as Secretary of Health. During his term the Philippine Medical Care Act was passed. A Malaria Eradication Program using DDT for spraying was initiated. With assistance from Japan, a poliomyelitis eradication program was initiated using oral polyvalent vaccines. The curative approach to Schistosomiasis control gained emphasis and a comprehensive program to combat malnutrition was launched. He died while still in office.

Dr. Clemente S. Gatmaitan

Term : December 1971 July 1979
Like Dr. Amadeo Cruz, Dr. Gatmaitan rose from the ranks. He first joined the DOH in 1930 as a physician in the Negros Occidental Provincial Office. He became President of the Sanitary Division in Bulacan from 1932 1934. He was Medical Officer in the Bureau of Health, Chief of the Section of School Health Supervision, and then Undersecretary of Health for Medical Services in 1962. He became acting Secretary of Health in December 1971 and was appointed Secretary only in January 1973. He became the first Minister of Health in July 1978. With a total duration of 8 years, his administration was the longest uninterrupted term as Secretary of Health. The POPIIBRD loan project started during his term. The main feature of POP I was the Restructured Health Care Delivery System which provided for the creation of Barangay Health Stations in the effort to provide one Midwife for every 5,000 population. The Midwives were also given delegated authority from the health center physician to perform expanded tasks and responsibilities in general care. In 1976, the Rural Health Practice Program (RHPP), which fielded new medical and nursing graduates to the rural areas for 3-6 months, was implemented. Field implementation of the Medicare Act of 1969 occurred during his term. He tried to initiate the integration of preventive and curative care but his efforts met strong opposition from the hospital advocates. The Institute of Health Sciences in Tacloban, stepladder training of midwives, nurses and doctors, was initiated during his term in 1976. The Expanded Program on Immunization was formally launched in 1976.

Dr. Enrique M. Garcia

Term : July 1979 June 1981
He graduated Valedictorian in his UP Medicine Class 1937 and topped the Medical Board Examination in 1937. He trained in Thoracic Surgery and was incharge of the surgical ward of the Philippine General Hospital during the war. He was head of the Department of Surgery of the Quezon Institute and was Director of the Institute in June 1973. He was initiating the organization of the Lung Center before he was appointed Minister of Health. During his term the National TB control Program was accelerated and malaria control measures were intensified. Programs to improve manpower development and upgrade residency training were also introduced. Immunization began to be provided on a year-round basis instead of only6 bi-annually. Praziquantel, a new drug, provided a breakthrough in the treatment and possible eradication of schistosomiasis. During his term the POP IIBRD loan project ended and the POPII loan project started. The POP II was funded from a loan from the International Development Association and involved civil works, logistics, IEC and activities in family planning, health and nutrition. The Control of Diarrheal Diseases (CDD) program was launched in 1980. Minister E. M. Garcia became ill during his term and died soon after his official retirement.

Dr. Jesus Azurin

Term : July 1981 February 1986
Like Dr. A.H. Cruz and Dr. C.S. Gatmaitan, Dr. Jesus C. Azurin rose from the ranks. He joined DOH as Quarantine Officer in 1947. He became Director of Quarantine from 1955 1974. As Director of Quarantine, he headed the Philippine research team that conducted one of the few prospective studies in cholera that clarified key questions about the transmission. He initiated on-board health education of passengers in domestic vessels. Under his leadership, the Bureau of Quarantine received government recognition as a model of good management. He became Undersecretary of Health in December 1974. As minister of Health, he launched the nationwide implementation of the Primary Health Care (PHC) approach in September 1961, and received the first WHO Sasakawa Health Prize for PHC. PHC opened the health care delivery system to Barangay Health Workers and community health volunteers stimulating interaction between health center staff and the community served. By virtue of EO 851, he tried to reverse more than 30 years of history by merging the prevention and curative services of the health care delivery system through the creation of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO). In April 1982, theResearch Institute for Tropical Medicine was established and in December 1982, the first herbal processing plant was constructed in the Davao Regional Health Office. During Minister Azurin s term, POP II project started to fund PHC activities such as training of Barangay Health Workers and establishment of Botika sa Barangay. POP II also funded 3 herbal processing plants. The DOH also started to produce oral rehydration salt (ORS) sachets during this time. Minister Azurin s involvement in cholera research made him an active mover in the Control of Diarrheal Diseases.

Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon

Term : March 1986 January 1992
As the first Secretary of Health under the restored democracy, Dr. Bengzon had the difficult task of reorganizing the Department of Health, restoring its soul and spirit and delivering it through a tense transition. His previous training in Business Management gave him the proper tools to execute the crucial role dealt by destiny. In his 5 years of administration, he carried out the transition successfully and carried the DOH to new heights of energy and achievement. With handpicked managers doing meticulous and systematic target-setting, planning, information processing and resource management, the discipline and order resulted in more effective delivery of services. During his term, disease detectives of the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), that also had a sentinel surveillance system, started to investigate and sort out epidemics and diseases. Full infant immunization coverage soared from a low of 21% to more than 80% in 3 years. Secretary Bengzon also championed the National Drug Policy Program (PNDP). In addition to programs, there were many other major improvements in the DOH system at this time. The central office buildings were renovated and DOH entered into the whole new world of computers and fax machines. The many programs and projects initiated during Secretary Bengzon s term included the following, among others: Control Of Acute Respiratory Infections, Control of Hepatitis B, Polio Eradication, National AIDS Prevention and Control Program, Non-Communicable Disease Programs (like the Cardiovascular and Cancer Control Programs), and the Philippine Health Development Project (PHDP). Secretary Bengzon was also designated as the Peace Commissioner tasked with the formulation of the government s comprehensive peace strategy. The second half of his term, however, became controversial when he pushed the Generic Law amidst opposition from the medical practitioners and drug manufacturers, an inevitable conflict by the wary nature of the law. Paradoxically, Secretary Bengzon received international recognition for his work in PNDP. Also, the field health staff never quite understood how a powerful and influential man who successfully advocated for a highly controversial Generic Law could be so helpless against the Local Government Code of 1991.

Dr. Antonio Periquet

Term : February June 1992
He joined the Department during the People Power reorganization in 1986 as Undersecretary fro Hospital Facilities and Regulation under the Bengson s administration. Trained in Rehabilitation Medicine, he promoted community0based rehabilitation program. As Undersecretary, he initiated strategic planning for hospital development and started networking among major hospitals in preparation for disasters. He convinced highly trained surgeons and consultants to operate in far-flung hospitals increasing access to these service. He was appointed Secretary of Health when Secretary Bengson resigned to run for Senate. As Secretary of Health, he had to grapple to the challenges of the immediate emotional and conceptual problems of devolution of health services brought about the Local Government Code of 1991. Secretary Periquet s term ended with the change in the national political leadership in 1992.

Dr. Juan Flavier

Term : July 1992 January 1995
Perhaps the most popular Secretary of Health was Dr. JM Flavier. Buoyant and hilarious, he was right for the mass immunization and micronutrient implementation campaign that marked his administration. With the battle cry Let s DOH it he popularized the programs and projects of the Department and injected excitement in the early years of his administration. He encouraged participation of non-governmental organizations in the DOH projects and was able to tap industrial sectors. During his term, Barangay Health Workers were organized and among the many projects initiated were: Healthy Places Initiative, Stop D.E.A.T.H Program, National Voluntary Blood Service Program, Oplan Sagip Mata, Yosi Kadiri, Doctors to the Barrios Project, Hataw Fitness Program, Pusong Pinoy, and Hospitals as Center for Wellness Program. However, the internal turmoil following the devolution of the field health services persisted. Municipal Health Officers organized and demanded for their legal benefits. Catholic groups doubted the purity of the tetanus toxoid vaccines. Essential drugs as antibiotics for tuberculosis and vaccine s for Heaptitis B failed to arrive on time. There were no less than 13 different communities processing various financial transactions. Like Secretary Bengzon, Secretary Flavier resigned to run for senatorial seat, which, this time, was successfully obtained. Senator Flavier chaired the Senate Committee on Social Justice and Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples

Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan

Term : January 1995 June 1995
He has the rare combination of the following expertise: solid grassroots community work in far flung doctorless rural areas; national and international health planning and programming, a faculty of colleges of medicine and health sciences; clinical practice combining North American European medicine with Asian and Filipino traditional medicine; national health policy development, national health field operations management, private sector health business development, research management and local government health development. He has worked with NGOs, international development agencies, the academe and government agencies. Dr. Galvez Tan is a Professor of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine; and the President of Health Futures Foundation, Inc. He was Vice Chancellor for Research of the University of the Philippines Manila and Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health Philippines 2002-2005. He served as Regional Adviser in Health and Nutrition for East Asia and the Pacific Region of UNICEF in Bangkok in 1996. He served the Philippine Department of Health as Secretary in 1995 and as Undersecretary and Chief of Staff from 1992-94. He acts as consultant to WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, ILO, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, AUSAID, JICA and USAID, bringing him to Europe (8 countries), Asia (14), Pacific (4) Africa (4), Latin America (4), Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Russia. His foremost distinctions are: One of the Outstanding Bedans of the Century 1901-2001 San Beda College; 1998 Community Service Award, U.P. AlumniAssociation; 1974 Excellence in Leadership Award, U.P. College of Medicine having been University Councilor 1971, U.P. Student Council Chairman 1972 and Student Regent, U.P. Board of Regents in 1972-73. He is married to Ma. Rebecca V. Maraa with 2 children: Ginoo Karlo, born 1982 & Riva Maria 1986

Dr. Hilarion J. Ramiro

Term : July 1995 March 1996
As former Regional Health Director for Region X, Dr. H.J. Ramiro was the Congressman of Misamis Occidental before his appointment as Secretary of Health. This appointment was his vindication, after having been removed from his Directorship during the People s Power reorganization in 1986. Dr. Ramiro thus returned to the Department of Health with enthusiasm and hope. With his strong political sense to meet the felt needs of the masses, he immediately launched People s Health Day on 29 September 1995 to help indigent Filipinos more easily avail of expensive surgical and medical care. On the first day alone, the following were done in DOH-retained hospitals and medical center: 500 major surgeries, 665 minor surgeries, 363 electrocardiogram and ultrasound examinations, 4,086 laboratory examinations, 761 x-rays examinations and 17,188 medical consultations. Secretary Ramiro was able to re-establish communication with the catholic groups through the Catholic bishop s conference of the Philippines not only concerning the controversial tetanus toxoid vaccine but also other population and family planning issues. Dr. Ramiro had to hastily resign when controversies regarding financial transactions during his term become publicly uncomfortable.

DR. CARMENCITA REODICA

Term : March 1996 June 1998
Her 32 years of experience as a public health worker and government administrator could not have prepared her better for the difficult task of Secretary of Health during one of the most turbulent times in DOH s history. Like Secretary R.A. Bengzon, her appointment was dealt by destiny coming unexpectedly at the wake of investigations of financial transactions, resignation and suspension of several top DOH officials. DOH s public credibility and internal morale were at their lowest. Instinctively or perhaps, with shrewd calculation, the President made one of his wisest moves in history. Showing strong faith in the strength and power of a woman, President Ramos appointed Dr. Carmencita Noriega-Reodica as the first woman Secretary of Health in March 1996. In less than two years, Health Secretary Chit Reodica not only regained the stability within the DOH but also restored DOH to its top position in the public s awareness and approval. As Secretary of Health, Secretary Reodica moved the DOH actively towards a people-based in contrast to disease- or program-based approach to public health. Keeping the life-cycle in mind, she focuses programs on specific target age and sectoral groups such as very young children, adolescents, and women. This approach more readily lends itself to integration of services from the point of view of the largest clients and not of the provider of services. Her ultimate vision: healthy and productive individuals and families. For the DOH, she continues the struggle towards making DOH a Center of Excellence. During Secretary Reodica s term, the following programs were initiated: Early Childhood Development ( a multi-agency collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports); the Adolescent Health program, the Measles Elimination Campaign, the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) and various approaches like the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), the syndromic approach to STD/AIDS, the quality assurance system for programs, and the life cycle planning approach.

Dr. Felipe Estrella

Term : July 1, 1998 August 23, 1998
Dr. Estrella is a Doctor of Medicine graduate from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine Batch 1955. He started his career as an Adjunct Resident of the Department of Gynecology in PGH in the same year. After serving UP Manila as a professor and a consultant for nearly 40 years, he got the position of Vice-Chancellor for Administration in 1985. The following year, he became the Director of PGH. He held the said position for 8 year, from Semptember 1986 to October 1994. During his term, the PGH was cited in 1994 as one of the "33 Centers of Excellence in Government Service" by the Senate Civil Service Committee that was chaired then by Senator Blas F. Ople. While attending to his tasks as PGH administrator, Dr. Estrella was also a COnsultant to the Senate President, Senate-Manila and Special Adviser to the University President at UP Diliman. After he retired from PGH, he was a consultant to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical City. He joined the Medical City as its Director of Medical Services in February 1995. He also worked as a Consultant to the Office of Senator Edgardo Angara (September 1995), Euromed Laboratories, Philippines (November 1995), and UP Health Services (January to December 1997). Dr. Estrella has attended post graduate training and education courses at the Radium Hemment in Stockholm, Sweden; the Memorial Hospital for cancer and Allied Diseases in New York, USA; the University of Vienna, Austria; and the Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA. He also won awards such as the 1997 Gawad Propesyonal sa Medisina from the UP Manila Alumnia Association and the 1992 Presidential or Lingkod Bayan Award.

Dr. Alberto Romualdez

Term : September 1998 January 2001
On 11 September 1998, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada appointed a new health secretary - Dr. Alberto G. Romualdez, Jr. Maybe, he was coined as the new hero the DOH employees are waiting for to save them from disgrace during this time. Sec. Romualdez is a graduate of Doctor of Medicine from the University of the Philippines and Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from the Ateneo de Manila University. He is a fellow on Tumor Immunology at the University of Connecticut and Membrane Biophysics at the Harvard Medical School in the U.S.A. Unlike his predecessors, Sec. Romualdez is not new in the DOH. He started as a Medical Adviser to the then Minister of Health from 1979-1982. He then became the director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine from 1981-1984. Dr. Romualdez was appointed as Assistant Secretary in 1988. However, he opted to work for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Western Pacific Region holding position as acting then regional adviser in Development of Human Resources of Health and director of Health Services, Development and Planning. From June 1996 until his appointment as Health Secretary, he was Medical Director of the HCA Philippines, Inc. and at the same time consultant of the WHO and the DOH. On 14 September, his 58th birthday, Sec. Romualdez was introduced to the DOH employees during the regular Monday flag ceremony. Among his priority concerns on his first few weeks were: (1) to improve efficiency in the use of resources away from graft issues, (2) to improve access to health services especially to those underserved for reasons of geography or economy, and (3) to review the strengths and weaknesses of the DOH's organizational structure within the framework of devolution as mandated by the Local Government Code. He said: "When he appointed me, President Estrada's instruction was simple: make sure that the DOH serves the people, especially the poor... I know that all of you understand this to be the Department's true mission in the first place. I am therefore sure of your cooperation in accomplishing the President's instruction. In other words, if you just do your jobs, the rest will follow.

Dr. Manuel Dayrit

Term : February 2001 May 2005
Secretary Manuel M. Dayrit has a public health career that spans 27 years. A Bachelor of Arts graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, he earned his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of the Philippines in 1976. After graduation, he plunged himslef into community-based health work in the rural areas of Mindanao. In 1982, taking a break from community work and concurrent teaching activities at the Davao Medical School where he was lecturer, he won a British Council scholarship to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There, he completed a Master of Science in Community Health with a Mark of Distinction. In 1984, he joined the Department of Health as a research epidemiologist. For his work in AIDS, cholera and red tide, he was named Outstanding Young Scientist by the National Academy of Science and Technology in 1990. Secretary Dayrit was involved in a wide range of activities in the Department of Health among others, the training of field epidemiologists, disease control programs, public information and health advocacy, and the regulation of blood banks and clinical laboratories. He rose to the post of Assistant Secretary in 1992. He left government in 1997 to join the private sector. He worked with Aetna HMO as Assistant Vice President for Health Services. Later, he joined a pharmaceutical company, United Laboratories, Inc. As Assistant Vice President for Regulatory Affairs. He has become on of the country s public health leaders, given the breadth and depth of his experiences in the community, academe and research, government, private sector and international health. Appointed as Secretary of Health on February 19, 2001 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he has led the Department of Health and its partners to new heights of public service.

Dr. Francisco Duque III

Term : June 2005 January 2010
Dr. Francisco T. Duque III finished both his undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Medicine at University of Santo Tomas. He finished Master of Science majoring in Pathology at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA on 1987. He also attended Immunology Scientific Training in the Department of Microbiology in Georgetown University, School of Medicine. After graduating, he went back to the Philippines and attended several post graduate courses on Planning and Managing Medical Education for the 21st century in the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and Association of Philippine Medical Colleges Foundation. In 1992, he finished a post graduate course on Executive Education in Health Program Management in Harvard University, School of Public Health and Graduate School of Management in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In 1988, he began his career as an associate professor in Lyceum FQD Medical Foundation, Department of Medicine and Pathology, College of Medicine. He continued his career in education and eventually became the Dean of Lyceum Northwestern FQD Medical Foundation, College of Medicine in 1989. In 1999, he was appointed by president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as director of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHILHEALTH). After serving a year and a half, he briefly became Undersecretary of Department of Health in 2001. Until, in the same year, he became the president and chief executive of PHILHEALTH . On June 1 2005, he officially became the 24th Secretary of Health. As an educator, civic leader, health care provider, scientist, administrator, executive and a bureaucrat, Secretary Duque has gained a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the health sector. He set his priorities on four agenda which he formulated, namely: 1) increasing investment for health; 2) ensuring universal access to essential health care; 3) assuring the quality and affordability of health goods and services; and 4) enhancing the performance of the health sector.Secretary Duque called it as FOURmula One for Health,

Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral

Term : January 2010 June 2011
On January 15, the Department of Health officially welcome a new health secretary - Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral. At the turn-over ceremonies, she lauded the accomplishments of the department under the term of Sec. Francisco T. Duque III. She also called on the DOH personnel to join her in her drive to reduce the inequities in the country's health services and to set the groundwork for the next administration in improving the entire Philippine healthcare system during the five-and-a-half months that she will be at the helm of the DOH. Sec. Cabral is a renowned cardiologist and top-ranked physician. She is a teacher, scientist and doctor, with countless hours spent tending to her patients, students and research. A graduate of Medicine atthe University of the Philippines, Dr. Cabral completed training in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Clinical Pharmacology at the Philippine General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts GeneralHospital and the Joslin Clinic in Boston. She has also served as professor at the UPCollege of Medicine and Pharmacology, director of the Philippine Heart Center as well as Chief of Cardiology at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center. Her distinguished and multifaceted career has been recognized with notable citations such as the National Outstanding Young Scientist for Medicine Award for 1981 by the Department of Science and Technology, the 1982 Achievement Award by the Philippine Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, the Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service Award for Medicine in 1986, and the First Dr. Jose P. Rizal Award by the Philippine Medical Association in 1991. With more than 30 years of success and accomplishments behind her, Dr. Cabral moved on to head the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 2006. With her at the helm, the DSWD was rated as the country's top ranking government agency by the Pulse Asia's Ulat ng Bayan Survey with the highest approval rating for performance in the entire bureaucracy. The DSWD also enjoyed the lowest disapproval rating among government agencies surveyed.

Dr. Enrique T. Ona

Term : 2010 Present
Secretary Enrique T. Ona was born on June, 4 1939 in Sagay City, Negros Occidental. His parents hail from Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur where his father became the first Provincial Health Officer and his mother served as a puericulture nurse. He graduated from medical school at the University of the Philippines in 1962. He further extended his medical and nephrology training abroad where he earned a medical license at the State of Massachusetts, USA. Sec. Ona belongs to the DOH family having served as the Executive Director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) from 1998 until his appointment on July 1, 2010 as the new health chief. He is recognized as one of the top surgeons in the field of vascular surgery and organ implantation. He is also a dedicated advocate of preventive nephrology in the country. He is currently the President of the Transplantation Society of the Philippines, a position he holds since 1989 and also the President of Maria Corazon Torres Javier Foundation from 2009 to present. Because of his dedication and contribution to health, Secretary Ona has been the recipient of various prestigious awards including the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardees for Medicine in 1979, The Presidential Award of Recognition in Organ Transplantation in 2000 and the Outstanding Health Research Award by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development presented last July 19, 2010. It was during his residency abroad that he met his beloved wife, Dr. Norma Martinez, an equally successful and nationally renowned hematologist. They are blessed with four boys namely, Arsenio Kenneth, Enrique Stanley, Victor Gabriel, and Manolo Steven. As a family man, Dr. Ona spends most of his time off at home playing with his grandson or indulging himself in a game of tennis or golf. Family and friends fondly call him Manong Ike, and they describe him as kind and generous. NKTI staff describe the Secretary as a strict but lenient chief. They recall that during his tenure at NKTI, he arrives between 8-9 am and leaves around 7 pm. At the end of the day he sees to it that everything is accomplished and every paper signed before leaving for home. No stone is left unturned, they say.