Dr. Catherine Chung, Local Health Systems (LHS) Director at Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), reflects on what effective technical assistance truly means: not just transferring knowledge, but building local partners’ capacity, connections, and accountability. Drawing on the recent Governance and Accountability for Better Access through YAKAP Implementation (GABAY) pilot for Universal Health Care (UHC), she argues that development partners should aim to become less necessary over time, walking alongside local governments until UHC becomes a lived reality for every Filipino.

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With close to 19 years working in public health and local health systems strengthening, I have continually asked myself: What is the most effective technical assistance we can provide to our partners—one that goes beyond knowledge transfer and truly adds value to their work?

This question became even more relevant after we concluded the pilot implementation of GABAY (Governance and Accountability for Better Access through YAKAP Implementation), held on September 22–24, 2026, in Baguio City.

The pilot brought together our partner areas from Benguet Province, the municipalities of Kapangan and Kibungan, and Baguio City, together with the PhilHealth Social Health Insurance Academy (SHIA) team, Regional and Provincial PhilHealth teams and the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Provincial, city, and municipal health officers, budget officers, accountants, treasurers, and planning officers also participated. The initiative was co-designed to support Universal Health Care (UHC) implementation, particularly by strengthening financial integration at the local level.

Photo above: Participants work together in small groups during the GABAY pilot.

As we work toward full province- and city-wide health systems integration, one of the most challenging areas has consistently been health financing. Financial integration is not simply a matter of understanding policies and processes. It requires specialized knowledge, strong governance, coordinated planning, and the ability of different stakeholders to work together around a shared understanding of local needs and priorities.

This is where technical assistance must evolve.

Effective technical assistance should not merely provide answers or introduce new tools. It should bring the right people together, build their capacity to analyze their own challenges, strengthen decision-making, and enable them to develop solutions that are responsive to their local context.

The PhilHealth GABAY pilot experience reinforced for me that financing decisions ultimately affect people. Resources must be planned and allocated strategically to ensure that essential health services are sustained, primary care remains accessible, and no one is left behind, including the health workers who serve at the frontline of the health system.

For technical assistance providers, therefore, the question should not only be “What technical support can we give?” but rather “What capabilities, connections, and values can we help our partners build so that they can lead, plan better, utilize resources effectively, and deliver quality health care services, ensuring that UHC is felt even in the farthest communities?”

Financial integration is one of the critical components that will bind together and strengthen effective UHC implementation. Primary care financing, in particular, has historically been one of the more difficult areas to navigate because it involves multiple stakeholders, systems, processes, and layers of accountability.

The GABAY pilot is therefore not an endpoint. It is one of many learning opportunities and technical assistance initiatives that our partners will undertake as they move toward greater financial maturity and stronger local health systems.

Photo above: Stakeholders from across the Cordillera Administrative Region together with PhilHealth SHIA and ZFF gather for a group photo, symbolizing shared commitment and partnership needed to advance UHC.

Perhaps this is the real measure of effective technical assistance: not how much we provide, but how much stronger, more capable, and more accountable our partners become because of it, and how sustainable the reforms become when we are no longer there as partners.

Our goal as development partners should be to make ourselves less necessary over time, not because local governments need less support, but because they have gained the capability, confidence, and systems to lead their own change.

This is the essence of our work as development partners: to walk alongside our partners, strengthen their capacity, and help build systems that can sustain progress beyond our engagement.

We will continue this noble work until, together, Universal Health Care becomes not only a policy or aspiration, but a reality that is felt by every Filipino, even in the farthest communities.

Author: Dr. Catherine Chung, ZFF LHS Director

For years, health workers in Baguio City managed health information across paper-based records, electronic medical records (EMRs), and government platforms that were not fully integrated. While data was routinely collected, its availability in usable and timely forms for patient care, planning, reporting, and decision-making remained a persistent challenge.

Photo above: Elmer Datuin, Chair for the Committee on Health and Sanitation of Baguio City, in his message commits to institutionalize BMRS through a resolution and ensure appropriation.

This experience became an important impetus for the city to develop a health information system (HIS) responsive to its local context and the needs of its health workers.

Today, Baguio City is taking further steps toward a more integrated and interoperable HIS through the continued development of its Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS) and the strengthening of the governance, standards, and processes needed to sustain it.

From Fragmented Systems to a Homegrown Solution

With the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law placing greater emphasis on functional HIS as part of local health system strengthening, Baguio City initially explored available solutions, including the Department of Health (DOH)’s iClinicSys and other third-party EMR platforms.

However, challenges in system usability, access to information, integration, and technical support underscored the need for a solution more responsive to the city’s operational realities.

The city eventually pursued the development of its own system.

Under the leadership of Mayor Benjamin Magalong and Francis Camarao, head of the city’s Management Information and Technology Division, the city developed the Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS), a locally developed platform designed around the needs of Baguio’s health facilities and frontline health workers.

Related article: 

• Baguio Showcases Locally-developed Electronic Medical Record System

The development of BMRS represents an important shift from simply digitizing records toward making health information more accessible and useful for clinical care, reporting, planning, and management.

The system has since supported PhilHealth’s Yakap and eClaims packages and has been validated at Level 2 under PhilHealth’s EMR standards. The city is likewise preparing for DOH EMR certification.

While full interoperability with other HIS remains a continuing objective, Baguio is taking steps to establish the standards, policies, security measures, and governance mechanisms necessary to support this direction.

Creating Space for Strategic Reflection

From September 8 to 10, 2026, the Baguio City Health Services Office (HSO) convened a three-day orientation and strategic planning workshop focused on strengthening the city’s HIS.

Led by Dr. Vanessa Polig-Fagcangan, HSO ICT Coordinator, the workshop brought together key local health leaders and representatives from the city government, health facilities, national health agencies, development partners, and the BMRS development team.

Among the key local participants were Elmer Datuin, Chair for the Committee on Health and Sanitation, and Dr. Maria Lourdes Pakoy, Assistant City Health Officer, together with representatives from the HSO, city health facilities, planning team, and BMRS development team.

Representatives from the PhilHealth Regional Office-CAR, PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office, and the DOH Center for Health Development (CHD)-CAR also participated in the discussions.

Providing technical expertise from PhilHealth’s Information Technology Management Department (ITMD) were Emma Ilagan and Stephanie Gavino, who shared perspectives on EMR standards, accreditation, and the technical requirements relevant to the city’s HIS. Their participation helped situate Baguio’s local efforts within the broader requirements and direction of the national health insurance program.

Dr. Ayedee Ace Domingo, HIS expert and ZFF consultant, provided technical guidance throughout the workshop, helping participants examine the HIS not only from a technology perspective but also in relation to health system governance, implementation, and sustainability.

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) was represented by Dr. Catherine Chung, Local Health Systems Director, together with Joan Kidatan and Ayeza De Mesa, program associates under the Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP). Their participation formed part of ZFF’s continuing technical assistance to Baguio City through its partnership under BMLGP.

The workshop covered the role of HIS in UHC implementation, relevant national and international standards and frameworks, experiences and good practices from other local government units, and PhilHealth’s EMR accreditation process.

Participants subsequently assessed Baguio’s current HIS landscape, developed a shared vision for the city’s HIS, identified and prioritized strategic interventions, and translated these priorities into a roadmap and action plan.

The workshop resulted in two key outputs: an HIS Strategic Plan and a six-month short-term action plan.

Photo above: Stakeholders from the Baguio Local Government Unit (HSO and Management Information and Technology Department) together with DOH-CHD CAR and PhilHealth Regional Office-CAR participate in the workshop.

Strengthening Local Capacity through Partnership

ZFF’s engagement in the activity stemmed from a request from Baguio City through the BMLGP partnership. HIS had been identified as an area where technical coaching and mentoring could contribute to the city’s continuing efforts to strengthen its local health system.

ZFF supported the preparation and design of the workshop and facilitated access to technical expertise from relevant institutions and practitioners, including the PhilHealth ITMD team and Dr. Domingo.

The engagement reflects ZFF’s broader approach to supporting local governments in advancing UHC: strengthening local leadership and governance while helping build the systems and capacities required to translate health policies and investments into improved health outcomes.

HIS is a critical component of this work. Reliable and accessible health information enables health workers and leaders to better understand the needs of their communities, monitor health service delivery, identify gaps, allocate resources, and make evidence-informed decisions.

Photo above: Mayor Benjamin Magalong (third from the left) and Dr. Vanessa Polig-Fagcangan (leftmost), Medical Officer IV, brings the ZFF and PhilHealth teams to Baguio’s SMART City.

Seeing the Impact at the Frontline

The value of BMRS is most evident in the experience of the health workers who use it.

Dr. Nathazha Franco described how the system has changed the way patient information is managed: “Our patient record keeping has drastically changed because of BMRS. The time spent for finding records has been minimized including the time to prepare reports. We can now also see patients’ records digitally and help us decide better for patient care, especially now that we can also see records of the referrals we made.”

For City Camp nurse Mr. Ferrer, the locally developed system has likewise contributed to improvements in frontline work: “Having a homegrown EMR is the best decision our city made, which helped us frontliners in many ways, especially with the continuous improvement in our system.”

These experiences demonstrate that the value of an HIS extends beyond digitizing records. Its effectiveness ultimately depends on whether health workers can use the information to improve service delivery and make better decisions for patients and communities.

From System Development to Institutionalization

Despite the progress made, Baguio recognizes that significant work remains.

The next phase of development requires attention not only to the technology itself but also to the institutional structures that will sustain it. Key priorities include formalizing HIS governance through appropriate policies and an ordinance, establishing a dedicated organizational structure and personnel, ensuring sustainable funding, strengthening capacity-building, and improving compliance with data privacy requirements.

These are essential foundations for achieving the city’s longer-term goal of interoperability.

As the experience of Baguio demonstrates, developing a functional EMR is only one part of the journey. Sustaining and integrating the system requires clear governance, defined responsibilities, adequate resources, capable people, and adherence to standards.

Photo above: Emma Ilagan, Unified PhilHealth Electronic Claims System Chair, provides guidance to Baguio City on software certification and onboarding process.

Building Systems That Work for People

One of the key lessons shared during the workshop was that there is no single “best” HIS. For Dr. Domingo, the best system is one that people actually use.

For local governments, this means that technology choices should be grounded in the realities of their health systems and the needs of the people who will use them. At the same time, systems need to be designed with standards, security, privacy, and interoperability in mind from the outset.

Baguio’s experience illustrates both the opportunities and challenges of taking this approach.

The decision to develop BMRS emerged from the limitations of existing systems. Its continued development, however, has demonstrated that technology alone cannot address the full range of challenges involved in building a sustainable HIS.

The work must also extend to governance, organizational capacity, financing, data stewardship, and continuous improvement.

Continuing the Journey

Baguio City’s experience is not a story of an HIS  that has already reached its endpoint.

It is a story of a local government that recognized a persistent problem, developed a locally responsive solution, and is now working to strengthen the foundations needed to take that solution further.

The journey toward interoperability will require sustained commitment and collaboration among the city government, health workers, national government agencies, technology teams, and development partners.

As Dr. Fagcangan aptly expressed during the workshop, “Malayo na, pero malayo pa.” Baguio has made significant progress, but much remains to be done.

The next steps will be critical: institutionalizing governance, strengthening standards and data protection, investing in people and resources, and ensuring that health information can move securely and meaningfully across systems.

Ultimately, the goal is not interoperability for its own sake. It is to ensure that health information is available when it is needed, understood when it is received, and used to support better decisions, better services, and better health outcomes for every community.

For Baguio City, the work continues. And its experience offers a valuable reference for other local governments navigating their own journey toward stronger, more responsive, and interoperable health information systems.

Authors: Joan Kidatan, ZFF BMLGP Associate for Baguio City

 

 

Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Executive Dialogue with Baguio City highlights how the city’s health system transformation is creating new opportunities to strengthen primary health care, deepen partnerships, and improve access for every community.

Photo above: Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong personally thanks ZFF Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit for his guidance, which helped transform the city’s frustrations into renewed motivation for its UHC journey.

“What we discovered today is that Baguio City has experienced massive organizational growth in just a few years. There has been growth in the budget, growth in human resources for health, and growth in population access to health services and the capacity of District Health Centers to provide care. What this tells me is that while your organization and capacity are growing, you are also uncovering more needs. As the Mayor said, ‘Hindi pa natin naaabot lahat.’ You are growing and increasing your budget, but as you grow, you continue to uncover more needs. Umaangat nang umaangat ang accomplishment ninyo, but the bar keeps getting higher.”

This was the central message of Dr. Manuel Dayrit, ZFF Chairman, during the Executive Dialogue with Baguio City officials as they reflected on the city’s continuing journey toward Universal Health Care (UHC).

Despite these remarkable gains, city officials acknowledged that many families living in pockets of poverty continue to face barriers in accessing quality health care. The discussion reflected both the accomplishments and the persistent challenges of local leaders committed to making UHC a reality.

Related articles:

• The Universal Health Care Journey in Benguet and Baguio: Celebrating Gains, Navigating Hurdles
• Mayor Magalong Completes ‘Deep Dive’ to Assess Baguio Health System

The Challenge of Translating Policy into Impact

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong observed that while national health reforms have expanded policy guarantees and strengthened people’s entitlement to health services, these commitments have also raised public expectations. Local governments, however, often face the challenge of translating national policies into tangible improvements on the ground, where implementation requires time, resources, and sustained collaboration. As a result, communities may become frustrated when the benefits envisioned by policy are not immediately realized.

Echoing the Mayor’s observations, City Councilor Hon. Elmer Datuin shared his experience in facilitating guarantee letters for indigent patients seeking access to health services. While the city has continuously worked to bridge health inequities through local legislation and financial assistance, he acknowledged that reaching every marginalized family remains a challenge.

He also noted Baguio City’s legislative gains in advancing public health, including ordinances supporting non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention through alcohol and liquor regulation, anti-smoking and anti-vaping measures, and the city’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthy procurement systems.

PhilHealth’s Perspective: Financial Protection and Its Limits

Offering the perspective of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Dr. Glenn Lamsis acknowledged the frustration expressed by Baguio City leaders over the continuing challenge of reaching the city’s most marginalized communities. He recognized that despite the collective efforts of national agencies and the local government, some families continue to face barriers in accessing the health services they need.

Dr. Lamsis explained that PhilHealth’s primary role in UHC is to provide financial risk protection by reducing the financial burden of seeking health care. While financial risk protection is essential, he noted that it cannot, by itself, address the broader challenge of poverty.

He said, however, that PhilHealth continues to strengthen its benefit packages to narrow existing gaps. From initially covering 21 medicines, PhilHealth has expanded its formulary to 75 medicines, enabling more patients to receive medicines for many common illnesses at no cost. While not every medicine is included, medicines covered under the approved benefit package are provided free to eligible members.

Recognizing that UHC is a shared responsibility, Dr. Lamsis reaffirmed PhilHealth’s commitment to supporting Baguio City through technical assistance and by reimbursing eligible services within existing policy guidelines as the city continues to strengthen its local health system.

Rethinking Progress: From Frustration to Motivation

Photo above: Dr. Dayrit huddles with Baguio City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes to map out actionable next steps for strengthening primary care and expanding partnerships across Baguio’s health system.

Building on these perspectives, Dr. Dayrit explained that the relationship between national policies and local implementation often produces both intended and unintended effects. 

While UHC reforms are designed to expand access to individual health services, one unintended effect is that local governments devote considerable time and resources to meeting implementation requirements, leaving less capacity for community-based health promotion and disease prevention.

Rather than waiting for policies to evolve, he encouraged Baguio City to continue innovating, thinking beyond conventional approaches, and co-creating solutions with partners who share the same vision for healthier communities. 

“The best way forward is to think outside the box. Work with others who share the same goal of improving people’s health.” 

While the dialogue covered operational updates and implementation challenges, its defining moment came when Dr. Dayrit reframed the city’s frustrations as evidence of progress.

Dr. Dayrit emphasized that Baguio’s frustrations should not be viewed as signs of failure, but as evidence that its health system is maturing. As services expand, expectations naturally rise, hidden gaps become more visible, and the standard for success continues to move higher.

The familiar Filipino expression, “Malayo na, pero malayo pa,” is often heard in conversations about UHC. While it reminds us that much work remains, it can also overshadow the remarkable progress that has already been achieved. Dr. Dayrit challenged the city to embrace both realities—to celebrate its gains while remaining committed to continuous improvement.

Mayor Magalong welcomed this perspective, sharing that the discussion transformed his frustration into renewed motivation. “When we create solutions to one problem, new problems emerge. It is a continuous process that requires us to keep innovating. It is our responsibility to continue finding solutions. And, of course, our greatest virtue here is always patience.”

A Collaborative Platform for Reflection and Action

The Executive Dialogue was held on July 3, 2026, in Baguio City as part of  ZFF’s Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP). It brought together members of the Local Health Board headed by Mayor Magalong and co-chaired by City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes, alongside representatives from the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CHD CAR) led by Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, PhilHealth represented by Dr. Glenn Lamsis, and ZFF headed by Dr. Dayrit.

Rather than simply reporting accomplishments, the Executive Dialogue created a space for national and local leaders to reflect on Baguio City’s UHC journey, openly discuss implementation challenges, and identify collaborative strategies for further strengthening the city’s health system.

In his closing message, Mayor Magalong appealed to DOH and PhilHealth to continue listening to the experiences and insights of local government implementers, emphasizing that the realities on the ground provide valuable lessons for strengthening national policies.

Dr. Dayrit likewise encouraged Baguio City to identify more “force multipliers” through strategic partnerships that can strengthen health promotion efforts. As the city continues its transition toward a primary health care-oriented system, initiatives such as YAKAP have understandably required significant organizational focus. Expanding partnerships, he noted, will help ensure that health promotion remains a strong pillar of the city’s health agenda.

Echoing this recommendation, Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan encouraged the city to further strengthen partnerships with private health facilities, intensify its health promotion and information campaign, and continue transforming District Health Centers into fully functional one-stop shops by maximizing reimbursements from the YAKAP package.

Photo above: Participants stand together after the Executive Dialogue, reaffirming their collective resolve to turn Baguio’s growing capacity into tangible health gains.

Baguio’s UHC Milestones: A Model for Transformation

Baguio City’s experience demonstrates that implementing UHC is not simply about complying with national policies. It is about continuously strengthening institutions, investing in people, learning from implementation, and responding to the changing needs of communities.

As one of the country’s pilot sites for UHC, Baguio has become a model for local health system transformation:

• In 2025, the city achieved 100% of the DOH’s Local Health System Maturity Level, reflecting full compliance with the preparatory, organizational, and functional requirements for UHC implementation.
• For its primary care facilities, the city secured a DOH License to Operate and obtained PhilHealth accreditation as a YAKAP provider, along with other PhilHealth benefit packages.
• It expanded its human resources for health and upgraded plantilla positions.
• It fully implemented the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers.
• It developed one of the country’s pioneering locally developed health information systems through the Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS).

These milestones demonstrate that Baguio is not merely keeping pace with health reform. It is helping shape its future. The Executive Dialogue affirmed that progress is not measured by the absence of challenges, but by the willingness to confront increasingly complex ones.

As Dr. Dayrit reminded the city, growth inevitably uncovers more needs and raises the bar even higher. For Baguio, this is not a setback, but a sign that its health system is moving in the right direction.

Author: Joan Kidatan, ZFF BMLGP Associate

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. 

Related articles:

• From Data to Dignity: How a Bedside Visit in Kibungan, Benguet Changed a Mayor’s Approach to Universal Health Care
• Kibungan and Kapangan’s Grand March Toward a Shared UHC Vision

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.

Francis Camarao, Information Technology Officer II, Management Information Technology Division, City Government of Baguio

Pioneering an electronic health information system in the Cordilleras, Baguio City developed its own electronic medical system (EMS) dubbed the Baguio Medical Records System (BMRS) to track data and improve health outcomes in the city. 

Francis Camarao, Information Technology Officer II from the city’s Management Information Technology Division, narrated the journey of BMRS, as well as its impacts and challenges, during the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Bayang Malusog Community of Practice session on Health Information System (HIS) Strengthening.

Before BMRS, both local health leaders and patients faced a myriad of problems in navigating their healthcare journey. Data silos and fragmentation of workflows limited the planning for policies and program appropriations. Meanwhile, patients reported difficulties in claiming their health benefits due to lack of claims visibility.

Baguio had a goal in mind: a unified patient record, improved service delivery reports, reduced manual processes and fragmented systems, and prevent excessive vendor subscriptions. Most importantly, Baguio wanted to achieve universal health goals.

The introduction of BMRS allowed both policy-makers and patients to utilize existing health records and claims. Current features of the BMRS include patient management, consultation and basic services, electronic PhilHealth claim services, and public health program data including immunization and nutrition. 

Baguio invested in their health information system, and the results speak for themselves. According to Camarao, the utilization of BMRS allowed for faster patient data retrieval, improved decision-making, better reporting and tracking, and cost-efficiency. 

However, the development of BMRS didn’t come without challenges. Although costs are reduced over time, the upfront investment needed to develop the system can account for a majority of the expenses and continuous funding for its maintenance are needed. Additionally, skilled personnel, developed through capacity training, are also needed for the use of BMRS.

For Baguio City, it is important to invest in people and in systems. Although the development of a health information system is a daunting task, Camarao advised local governments to start small, and scale strategically. Camarao ended his report with a strong message, “A stronger health system begins when every patient is seen, every story is heard, remembered, and acted upon with care.”

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On May 6, 2026, ZFF convened the Bayang Malusog Community of Practice—a learning platform for health officials across the Philippines—to strengthen HIS as the backbone of health reform. The session brought together 17 provinces, one city, and representatives from five DOH regional offices, each sharing diverse operational realities and digital health maturity levels to advance Universal Health Care. Read more about the event here.

A health information system (HIS) succeeds only when end users adopt it, local governments finance it, and national standards support it. The Bayang Malusog Community of Practice convened on May 6, 2026 to advance exactly this kind of systems-level learning.

This Community of Practice, convened by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), serves as a dedicated learning platform where health officials exchange implementation experiences, discuss operational challenges, and develop practical solutions for advancing UHC across the Philippines. This session brought particular focus to HIS, which many describe as the backbone of health reform.

The learning session drew participants from 17 provinces and one city, alongside representatives from five Department of Health (DOH)-Centers for Health Development from Regions 1, 4A, 7, 8, and the Cordillera Administrative Region. The provinces represented include Pangasinan, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Aklan, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, and Southern Leyte. Baguio City also participated as the lone city delegation. Each locality brought distinct operational realities and varying stages of digital health maturity to the learning session.

Related article:

• “No Time to Wait”: Health Leaders Push to Accelerate Digital Health in the Philippines

‘No UHC Without Strong HIS Support’

ZFF President and Executive Director Austere Panadero opened the discussions with a pointed reminder: “At the end of the day, the sustainability of entire reforms in local health systems, one of the key pillars is the infosystem.”

He acknowledged the difficult trade-offs local governments face daily. “Marami kasing investment decisions ang dapat gawin ng mga local governments. Saan ninyo ilalagay ang inyong mga limited resources so that you can really support the UHC implementation?”

Panadero reaffirmed ZFF’s commitment to hosting these critical conversations. “Kami sa ZFF, we’re happy to host these types of conversations and find out more ano pa ‘yung mga kailangan nating sabay tuklasin at hanapan ng paraan upang mabigyan ng kaukulang atensyon o solusyon ‘yung mga problemang hinaharap natin.”

Dr. Catherine Chung, ZFF Local Health Systems Director, set the context for the learning session with a sobering assessment of UHC’s seventh year. “Functional na dapat lahat itong seventh year, pero marami pa rin tayong struggles and challenges,” Chung said.

Chung warned that without reliable data and sound planning, UHC implementation will continue to fall short. “Kung walang kaperahan, walang maayos na data, walang maayos na pagpaplano, hindi magiging maganda ‘yung implementation natin.”

Peer Learning as the Path Forward

Dr. Carlo Panelo, healthcare economics expert and professor at the University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine, encouraged participants to embrace peer learning as the most critical strategy at this stage of UHC implementation. “National guidelines can only go so much,” Panelo explained. “They provide you the framework, the general direction but implementing it on the ground is really very nuanced in terms of your unique situation as individual local governments.”

Panelo remained unequivocal about the necessity of robust information systems. “HIS will not solve everything but it can definitely improve things. Similar to UHC, HIS is not your magic bullet or your magic pill for UHC. But I think there is no UHC without strong HIS support.”

He placed the responsibility squarely on local governments. “These systems are existing, and the ball is actually in your court now to adapt what these systems can provide you. National government needs to create an enabling environment for local governments to invest in an HIS, meaning at the end of the day you have to convince your mayors and you have to show them the figures—how much it will cost you and how much you will get in return by investing in this improvement in your systems.”

Health as Foundation of National Progress

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla made the case that health cannot remain a side agenda. “You cannot have a progressive country if you don’t actually focus on health,” he declared.

Petilla emphasized that data gathering is the most crucial component of the entire UHC system. “We’re just trying to capture everything. If you capture everything in the easiest possible way, you can do a lot of analysis. It’s the data gathering that’s actually very crucial here.”

Quezon’s Journey: No ‘Best System,’ Only What Works

Dr. Chris Mangunay, Provincial Health Officer I of Quezon Province, shared his province’s ongoing journey in developing a customized and integrated health information system designed around actual healthcare workflows.

“The success of a health information system depends largely on the end users,” Mangunay said. “We need a system that is user-friendly because we want something that follows the workflow of a primary care facility.”

The province transitioned between providers after discovering their previous system no longer progressed according to operational needs. “There is no one best system,” Mangunay acknowledged. “Whatever system you present, there will always be hiccups and resistance from end users.”

He stressed the necessity of continuous development. “We have to continuously explore other features and continuously develop because every facility is still adapting to these systems. We need a mature system to support evidence-based governance. At the end of the day, we want [HIS] to translate into better health outcomes.”

Aligning Local Systems with National Standards

Ms. Cherry Esteban, OIC Director of the DOH Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service (KMITS), discussed the national government’s efforts to strengthen governance and interoperability across local health systems. “Digital health is positioned as a strategic enabler of UHC,” Esteban said. 

She highlighted the planning advantages that robust data provides. “Decision makers can already do better planning if the data is available.” Esteban emphasized governance as the foundation of digital transformation. “Good governance must guide digital transformation. Interoperability is not just about systems connecting with each other.”

Lessons from Experts: Start Small, Think Big, Learn Fast

Two senior health experts offered closing reflections that captured the day’s themes. 

Dr. Ayedee Domingo, adjunct faculty at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and former director of the National TeleHealth Center, encouraged experimentation grounded in local reality. “We can only learn by trying. So unless we try, we can never really know what really works in our setting. We can write the best enterprise architecture on paper, but it may still fail.”

Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Chairman of the Zuellig Family Foundation and former Secretary of Health, noted the opportunity for greater alignment between national and local governments. “National government will create policies and standards, but not address the structural bottlenecks to enable those policies and standards to be implemented. We could move faster if there was more coherence in how the central government and local governments work together.”

The way forward requires simultaneous action on multiple fronts: strengthening information systems alongside the people who run them, investing in digital literacy while planning for interoperability, and advancing beyond pilot stages without delay. Stronger systems produce stronger data. Stronger data produces better health for every Filipino.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong stepped out of his usual executive role to participate in a ‘Deep Dive’ learning exercise, part of the Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), designed to give local leaders a grassroots perspective on the city’s health system.

Related articles:

• Baguio City Strengthens Health Finances for Universal Health Care
• ZFF Strengthens Primary Care to Advance UHC in Benguet and Baguio City
• Baguio City Advance Universal Health Plans

The Deep Dive, held on March 13, 2026, is an experiential process that moves leaders beyond theoretical briefings. It requires them to engage directly with the community in their own environments to observe conditions and foster a deeper understanding of health inequities, particularly among the underserved.

Mayor Magalong, accompanied by City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes and Barangay Irisan Chairman Arthur Carlos, began the morning with a pre-briefing before proceeding to a home visit in Irisan. There, the mayor met with a resident in their home, listening to personal health concerns and experiences with the city’s health services.

The process emphasizes intentional observation and suspending preconceived judgments. This means engaging with the citizen with “appreciation, curiosity, and wonder” to better understand the systemic barriers vulnerable populations face. While the mayor focused on this direct immersion, other members of the City Health Office simultaneously conducted a focused group discussion with the Hypertension and Diabetes (HPN and DM) Club in City Camp Central as part of the broader day’s activities.

The morning engagements were followed by an afternoon session of reflection and processing. During the synthesis, ZFF President Austere Panadero shared his key takeaways from the day’s discussions, emphasizing the need for strategic focus and better use of data.

“Ang dami pang opportunity for the health sector… Ang challenge ay, how would you know what determinant is affecting that family? In the past, kailangan mo pang mag-survey para makita mo ‘yun. Ngayon, mukhang hindi na, kasi kung nabuo mo ‘yung database mo, your system can execute that. Who needs help the most? Hindi na mahirap malaman ito,” Panadero said, pointing to Baguio’s existing smart city platform as a unique advantage.

The expected outcomes of the exercise are to strengthen the connection between city leadership and health stakeholders, and to inform more responsive decision-making for Baguio’s health system.

 

Baguio City health leaders met with national agencies and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) on February 19, 2026 to reinforce the financial foundation of its local health system. The technical coaching session, under ZFF’s Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP) aimed to sharpen the city’s strategy for health financing and integrated care under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.

Representatives from the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Baguio City local government reviewed the city’s progress and readiness for integrated care delivery.

Related articles:

• ZFF Strengthens Primary Care to Advance UHC in Benguet and Baguio City
• Baguio City Advance Universal Health Plans

Building an Integrated Health System

Since establishing its Health Care Provider Network (HCPN) in 2021, Baguio City has built a more coordinated local health system that connects primary care facilities, hospitals, and specialized services.

City leaders highlighted key integration milestones during the session:

• Joining the PhilHealth Primary Care Provider Network Sandbox Program
• Holding two HCPN summits to align public and private health providers
• Creating a Patient Navigation and Referral System to streamline patient movement between facilities

These initiatives directly support the UHC goal: ensuring residents receive continuous, coordinated, and quality care.

Maximizing Health Financing Opportunities

A major focus of the coaching session was improving the management of PhilHealth claims, a vital revenue source for local health facilities.

Data presented showed that about 64% of the city’s health facility claims received payment, totaling approximately Php 3.18 million disbursed from 2022 to 2026. Facilities like the Irisan Health Center demonstrated how effective claims management can strengthen facility operations and expand community health services.

PhilHealth representatives stressed that robust claims management ensures local health services fully utilize national financing mechanisms.

Strengthening the Special Health Fund

The session also tackled the Special Health Fund (SHF), which pools resources to support integrated health service delivery under UHC.

Baguio City reported a Php 200 million allocation to the SHF for 2026, demonstrating its commitment to strengthening the local health system. Participants agreed they must translate these resources into tangible service improvements. Priorities include accelerating procurement processes, strengthening financial planning, and improving coordination across implementing units.

Leadership and Governance for Health

The activity underscored the need for strong leadership and collaboration to advance health reforms.

PhilHealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco provided direct technical guidance to Baguio City’s health leaders, sharing insights on optimizing financing systems and preparing for provider network contracting under UHC.

This engagement also reflects the leadership development work of ZFF through BMLGP, which helps local governments strengthen governance, improve health financing, and build more responsive health systems.

Moving Forward

As Baguio City advances its UHC reforms, local leaders identified these key next steps:

• Strengthen coordination across city departments and the Local Health Board
• Operationalize the SHF manual and financing protocols
• Resolve procurement and information technology bottlenecks
• Prepare for provider network contracting under integrated health care delivery

With strong partnerships and continued leadership development, Baguio City is well-positioned to further strengthen its local health system. By reinforcing both leadership and financing systems, the city is laying the groundwork for a future where every resident can access the care they need, when and where they need it.

Banner photo: Dr. Celia Brillantes, Baguio City Health Officer

Authors: Joan Kidatan, ZFF Local Health Systems Provincial Associate for Baguio City; Krizzia Esperanza, ZFF Corporate Communications Associate

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), through its Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP), is helping strengthen primary health care (PHC) systems in Kapangan and Kibungan in Benguet and Baguio City to support the country’s Universal Health Care (UHC) goals.

Guided by the UHC Act’s vision of accessible, equitable, and people-centered health services, the Bayang Malusog Program focuses on improving local leadership and governance so that government units can effectively manage integrated primary care networks. To support this, ZFF provided partnership grants to the City Camp and Irisan District Health Centers in Baguio City, and the Rural Health Units of Kapangan and Kibungan in Benguet.

Related articles:

• Kibungan and Kapangan’s Grand March Toward a Shared UHC Vision
• Baguio City Advance Universal Health Plans
• Moving Forward with Health Reforms in Benguet

The grants help frontline health workers deliver better care through:

• Home visit kits for community outreach;
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) for Barangay Health Workers (BHWs);
• Essential primary health care equipment; and
• Health Information System (HIS) support.

These tools enable continuous, quality care at the community level.

The turnover ceremony on January 22, 2025, marked a shared commitment to making primary care facilities strong and functional. Baguio City officials present were Dr. Ma. Lourdes Pakoy, Assistant City Health Officer; Dr. Nelson Hora, City Camp District Health Center Medical Officer; and Dr. Vanessa Fagcangan, Irisan District Health Center Medical Officer. From Benguet, Dr. Meliarazon Dulay and Dr. Jocelyn Legaspi, Provincial Health Officers, and Ms. Rubelyn Tomas, Senior Health Program Officer, attended, along with Dr. Joy Fermin, Municipal Health Officer of Kapangan. Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region officials Dr. Janice Bugtong and Dr. Mercedes Calpito also joined.

Through the Bayang Malusog Program, ZFF continues to show that strong leadership, well-supported health workers, and integrated primary care systems form the foundation of UHC—ensuring every Filipino family can access quality, responsive, and people-centered health services.

Banner photo: Provincial Health Office of Benguet

Authors: Joan Kidatan, ZFF BMLGP Associate for Baguio City