From an Empathy-Driven Learning Visit to a Stronger Commitment to Health

In Kapangan, Benguet, where 11 out of 15 barangays are geographically isolated, the path to better health is rarely easy. 

Last May 15, 2026, Kapangan Mayor Harris Dizon with Dr. Joy Fermin, Municipal Health Officer, joined a guided community immersion referred to as Deep Dive, as part of the Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP) of the Zuellig Family Foundation. 

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Following their training in November 2025, the mayor together with the municipal health team committed to a learning journey rooted in empathy. The Deep Dive asked leaders to see the health system through the eyes of the poor and marginalized.

During the orientation, Dr. Fermin presented the municipality’s key health indicators, which set the lens for the Deep Dive that followed. In Kapangan, hypertension is the number one cause of outpatient visits and a leading cause of death, alongside cancer and stroke. In 2025, thirteen percent of all deaths were premature Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) deaths involving individuals under seventy years old.

The team identified several barriers. At the facility level, the clinical laboratory remains unlicensed, preventing essential cholesterol testing. There are periodic stockouts of maintenance medicines. At the community level, patients face out-of-pocket costs, cultural beliefs that normalize very high blood pressure, and the challenge of treatment fatigue. The mountainous terrain and frequent bad weather also keep many seniors from reaching the health stations.

To ground these problems in real life, the team visited an 89-year-old hypertensive living in a household of ten family members who survive on farming and a small pension. The visit shifted the team’s perspective dramatically. The mayor admitted that seeing her difficulty in walking reminded him of his own vulnerabilities.

During the debriefing, the team moved from emotion to action. The mayor committed to a house-to-house visiting program for immobile seniors and pointed to the upcoming July budget cycle as the time to allocate more funds for health. The MHO proposed creating a dedicated NCD  technical working group under the Local Health Board. She also pushed for a functional Electronic Medical Record system, since the current manual tracking only reveals that a patient has stopped their medication months after the fact.

Despite admitting that he considers himself an older learner, Mayor Harris closed the session with a strong statement of commitment. He said he is ready to learn every day to ensure the success of Kapangan’s health programs. The team will reconvene in June 2026 for a practicum assessment and the BLMGP Module 2 training will be held in July to refine their municipal health roadmap.

BMLGP is a three-year commitment (2025–2027) to strengthen Primary Health Care in Benguet and Baguio City by empowering local leaders in operationalizing Universal Health Care.