President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his confidence in the new PhilHealth Chief, Dr. Edwin Mercado.

According to Marcos, Mercado is qualified for the position.

“He is very, very well-versed in both hospital administration, insurance, and all the… His whole life has been devoted to healthcare,” Marcos said in a press conference at Malacañang Palace.

Marcos and Mercado agreed that PhilHealth must undergo digitalization.

“PhilHealth's service is good, but the processing of files, claims, applications, et cetera, is still done manually. So the [process] is very slow, and that's why that became a priority,” he said.

Mercado replaced Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. as the head of the state insurer. He took his oath on 4 February 2025.

Marcos said Ledesma left PhilHealth, citing difficulties in the position.

“He said that he's also having a hard time with all of the… He's not used to politics. Manny Ledesma is very much from the private sector. So, I think he found the transition to be jarring, shall we say,” he said.

Mercado vowed to address “illnesses” in the state health insurer.