Marcos: Ledesma resigned, found PhilHealth chief post too difficult

In a Palace briefing on Thursday, February 6, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. confirmed the resignation of Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. as president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Marcos explained that Ledesma, who came from the private sector, found the political aspects of the role to be challenging.

“He told me he was having a hard time with all the… He’s not used to politics,” Marcos said. “Manny Ledesma comes from the private sector, so I think he found the transition to be jarring.”

Following Ledesma’s resignation, Marcos appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado, an orthopedic surgeon with extensive experience in hospital administration and health insurance, as the new PhilHealth president. The President emphasized that the leadership change was driven by the need for expertise in healthcare administration and digitalization.

This leadership shift comes amid ongoing concerns about the legality of transferring billions of pesos from PhilHealth to the national treasury. In October 2024, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order halting further transfers after the state insurer transferred P60 billion, leaving only P29.9 billion remaining with the agency. The High Tribunal has since begun holding oral arguments on the issue.