Churchill Aguilar IN my line with work, I get to meet all kinds of leaders and people occupying high positions. Some are very charismatic while others are irritatingly full of themselves.  I have learned to dance with each of them. Sometimes I would have to pretend that I am an idiot just so they would feel good and secure. Such comes with the territory. But very rarely do I meet brilliant people. So rare I could count those instances with my fingers in one hand. Last Sunday was one of them. Since I was in the city, a friend invited me for coffee and introduced me to the executive officer of the JR Borja General Hospital––Dr. Ramon Nery. Never did I think that I would meet one of the most brilliant minds in our country. And by brilliance I don’t mean one with genius IQ, rather an enlightened individual who knows the fundamental problems of his field, knows exactly what to do about them, and has actually solved them. You see, in the world of politics and governance, all executive officers and consultants proclaim themselves (me included) as the best then showcases their  highly impressive ideas, but even if they get the biggest funding in the local budget most of them could not, have not, and did not deliver. No output and outcome to show. Almost always it’s due to the off-tangent or dis-alignment of the programs, projects and activities they use to reach their targets.  Thus we face the same problem over and over again from one administration to the next such as failed economic enterprise, mediocre social services, badly managed public markets, and even the terrible traffic. For the first five minutes, I was certain that Dr. Nery knew exactly what he was talking about. His targets and his success indicators in providing health services are as realistic, grounded, and just what all LGUs should have. I saw his brilliance in the programs he put in place. His definition of affordable health care is “free health care for all.” And he toiled to give Cagay-anons nothing less than that. Before he assumed office, the City Hospital was nothing more like a health center. But in less than three years, it has doubled its number of doctors and medical personnel. It has upgraded its facilities that are now very much at par with the leading private hospitals. If in 2013, it only served a little over 20 thousand patients, this year it has already served some 40 thousand Cagay-anons. And, of course, the biggest achievement would be that all services they have provided were all given free! And how did that happen? With the full support of the city hall (the most crucial element he says of which he is thankful to the mayor), Dr. Nery was able to converge healthcare financing initiatives from Philhealth, DOH, and PCSO. Not only were services fully subsidized, they have also increased their revenue from an average of P700 thousand a month in 2013, it now earns an average of P10 million each month.  Libre na gani tanan, dako pa kayu’g kita ang hospital. Without a doubt, the city’s health services was made better because of his efforts. And I would hope that his success gets national attention because it is really worth replicating in all LGUs. His expertise is just what our DOH needs. Having been awarded as the Most Outstanding Filipino (Tofil) for government and public service in 2011 and being a recipient of the Galling Pook Award for Strategic Innovations in Operating Local Government Hospitals in 2010, Dr. Nery is surely more than qualified to change the landscape of health care in our country as a cabinet secretary for health.