President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday swore in Dr. Edwin Mercado as the new Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) and Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho as the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The oath-taking ceremony was held at Malacañang.
Mercado replaced Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr., who resigned as health secretary due to health reasons less than a month after assuming the post.
This marks the second change in leadership at the DOH in just one month.
Mercado previously served as PhilHealth president and CEO, a position he assumed in February 2025. He will now lead the DOH, bringing extensive experience in healthcare management, health financing, and universal healthcare.
Before entering government service, Mercado served as an administrator of several hospitals. He also worked as a consultant for the Asian Development Bank and the Zuellig Family Foundation and was a member of the DOH Strategic Advisory Group for Universal Health Care Implementation.
He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines Manila. He also holds a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery from Harvard Medical School and a master's degree in Hospital Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
(Photo courtesy: PCO)
Meanwhile, Ho took over Mercado's post at PhilHealth.
Before her appointment, Ho served as chief health officer of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. She previously held several senior positions at the DOH, including undersecretary in 2022, assistant secretary from January 2023 to January 2024, and officer-in-charge of the Public Health Services Team.
She also served as the DOH's deputy spokesperson from March 2020 to December 2023.
Ho earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines Manila and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Both Mercado and Ho have extensive experience in health management and public service, with Ho returning to government after working in the private sector.
