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DR. JOSE FABELLATerm : 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 Childrens Hospital in Manila, now called the Jose Fabella Memorial
Hospital. In 1925, he laid the plan for the development of the childrens 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.
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Dr. Basilio ValdezTerm : 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 ofStaff 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 Quezons 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.
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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 planters association and
representative of the Liga de la Proteccion de la Infancia in the province.
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DR. Antonio villaramaTerm : 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 1935-
1946. 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 ofthe 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.
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DR. juan salcedoTerm : 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 Welfarebefore 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 HealthUnits 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).
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Dr, paulino GarciaTerm : 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 wasdemonstrated 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 atabout same time.
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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 OperationTribal 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.
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Dr. Francisco DuqueTerm : 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 under-
privilege 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 provincialhospitals.
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.
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Dr. Floro DabuTerm : 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.
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Dr. Manuel CuencoTerm : 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.
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DR. AMADEO H. CRUZTerm : 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.
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Dr. Clemente S. GatmaitanTerm : 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 wasappointed 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.
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Dr. Enrique M. GarciaTerm : 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 in-
charge 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 theInternational 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.
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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, theBureau 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 Azurins 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 Azurins involvement in
cholera research made him an active mover in the Control of Diarrheal Diseases.
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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 Bengzons 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
governments 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.
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Dr. Antonio PeriquetTerm : February June 1992
He joined the Department during the People Power reorganization in 1986
as Undersecretary fro Hospital Facilities and Regulation under the Bengsons
administration. Trained in Rehabilitation Medicine, he promoted
community0based rehabilitation program. As Undersecretary, he initiated
strategic planning for hospital development and started networking among majorhospitals 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 Periquets term
ended with the change in the national political leadership in 1992.
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Dr. Juan FlavierTerm : 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 Lets 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 amongthe 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 Justiceand Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples
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Dr. Jaime Galvez-TanTerm : 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, theacademe 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
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Dr. Hilarion J. RamiroTerm : 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 Peoples Power reorganization in 1986. Dr. Ramiro thus
returned to the Department of Health with enthusiasm and hope. With his strongpolitical sense to meet the felt needs of the masses, he immediately launched
Peoples 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 bishops conference of the Philippines not
only concerning the controversial tetanus toxoid vaccine but also otherpopulation and family planning issues.
Dr. Ramiro had to hastily resign when controversies regarding financial
transactions during his term become publicly uncomfortable.
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DR. CARMENCITA REODICATerm : 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
DOHs 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. DOHs 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 publics
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 Reodicas 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.
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Dr. Felipe EstrellaTerm : 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 ofPGH. 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 aCOnsultant 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.
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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 thoseunderserved 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.
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Dr. Manuel DayritTerm : 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 countrys 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.
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Dr. Francisco Duque IIITerm : June 2005 January 2010
Dr. Francisco T. Duque II I 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,
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Dr. Esperanza I. CabralTerm : 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.
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Dr. Enrique T. OnaTerm : 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 organimplantation. 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 indulginghimself 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.