Head, Heart, and Hand in Action: Municipal Health Leaders Drive Universal Health Care in Negros Oriental and Siquijor

On August 5–6, 2026, municipal health teams from seven localities—comprising mayors, municipal health officers, and key local officials (such as the Sangguniang Bayan member for health, administrative officer, budget officer, etc.)—convened for Module 1 of the Municipal Leadership Development Program (MLDP). The two-day workshop, titled “Leading Change to Accelerate Universal Health Care (UHC),” was organized by the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Negros Island Region (NIR), in partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) and Silliman University as the academic partner.

The workshop challenged health leaders to critically reflect on their accountability to their communities in expanding health access and improving health outcomes through UHC. This shared commitment was captured in the taglines of the participating municipalities:

• Larena: “Larena making a difference”
• San Juan: “Sa San Juan, ikaw ampingan” (In San Juan, we care for you)
• Ayungon: “Abante Ayungon” (Forward Ayungon)
• Zamboanguita: “Sa Bayang Malusog, Patsada Zamboanguita” (For a healthy town, move forward Zamboanguita)
• San Jose: “San Jose, First”
• Bindoy: “Sa UHC, sulbo Bindoy” (For UHC, rise Bindoy)
• Bayawan: “Ikaw, Ako, Kita ang Bayawan. Ibayaw Bayawan” (You, Me, We are Bayawan. Lift Bayawan)

Photo above: A participant  shares their team’s articulated change vision for advancing UHC.

“UHC is the glue of our health system,” emphasized Jennifer Remollo, Head of the DOH-CHD NIR Health System Integration Cluster, setting the tone for the entire activity. To put this vision into practice, participants grounded themselves in the Bridging Leadership Framework, which calls on leaders to practice Ownership, Co-Ownership, and Co-creation. They then worked through the first five steps of Kotter’s Change Framework to guide their health system transformation:

1. Establishing Urgency – Using a Head and Heart approach, leaders applied systems thinking to understand their municipality’s health challenges and took accountability for the barriers their constituents face in accessing deserved health services.
2. Creating a Guiding Coalition – They identified key stakeholders and leaders who could help navigate these challenges.
3. Creating a Change Vision – Teams articulated a clear vision for advancing UHC implementation.
4. Communicating the Change Vision – They learned effective principles for conveying their vision to diverse audiences.
5. Empowering Broad-Based Actions – They identified barriers to change and mapped out strategies to overcome them.

Photo above: A participant walks through their group’s systems thinking model, illustrating the interconnected health challenges and systemic bottlenecks their municipality must navigate to expand health access.

The workshop was structured around three core dimensions: Head, Heart, and Hand.

• Head (Realization): Leaders gained a deeper awareness of systemic bottlenecks. As one participant noted, “What is easy is clear—but the “how” is difficult.” They recognized that achieving health equity requires moving beyond individual efforts to co-owning problems with their guiding coalition.
• Heart (Commitment): Empathy emerged as a central theme. Participants acknowledged that creativity, selflessness, and genuine love for service make the heavy work of bridging care gaps manageable. One leader summed it up: “Forget oneself, serve genuinely, and be accountable to the people we serve.”
• Hand (Action): Guided by the MLDP roadmap, teams co-created priority actions to dismantle health system barriers and accelerate UHC implementation in their respective municipalities.

Armed with renewed clarity, shared empathy, and concrete action plans, the seven municipal health teams returned to their communities ready to turn local leadership into lasting health transformation.