THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) received four (4) special recognition awards during the 34th ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Board Meeting recently held at the Centera Hotel and Convention Center in Udon Thani, Thailand. The theme for this year is “Ageing Society.”

Four (4) out of the seven (7) categories were given to PhilHealth namely, the Customer Service Recognition Awards for the Guaranteed Health Benefits and Priority Settings to Maximize Health Outcomes and All Case Rates Search Mobile Application; Innovation Recognition Award for the Institutional Health Care Provider Portal; and the Strategic Communication Recognition Award for the Development of PhilHealth Learner’s Material for the Basic Education Program of the Philippines: Planting the Seed of Sustainability. The recognition award ceremony was led by the current ASSA Chairman Atty. Emmanuel F. Dooc, President and CEO of Social Security System (SSS), Philippines.

PhilHealth representatives to the said Board Meeting were Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas, Head Executive Assistant to the President and CEO and Concurrent OIC-Vice President for Corporate Affairs; Atty. Lora L. Mangasar, Attorney V from the Office of the Corporate Secretary and Janice Angelique P. Olea, Executive Assistant from the Office of the Chief Operating Officer. The event was attended by other ASSA member-institutions from the Philippines namely: SSS, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and Employees Compensation Commission (ECC).

The ASSA Board Meeting is an annual forum for member-institutions and experts from regional and international organizations to provide updates and exchange views and experiences on social security issues. It aims to strengthen social security networks and collaboration among member organizations in support to the national and regional social security management and services. The ASSA is composed of social security agencies from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Resource speakers for this activity were Dr. Joachim Breuer, President of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) who discussed the Smart Senior Society with Smart Social Security: Global Experience; Nuno Meira Simoes da Cunha, Senior Technical Specialist on Social Protection of International Labor Organization (ILO) who tackled the Ageing Society and Sustainability of Social Security System in ASEAN: ILO’s Perspective; Akira Morita, Professor of Department of Policy Studies, Tsuda University and Itaru Sato, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research who talked on Adapting to New Challenges.

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The workshop on ASSA’s good practices was conducted on the fourth and the last day of the forum. Other member-countries also shared their best practices as well. (Faudia H. Subillaga)

(Reference: Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas, Head Executive Assistant and Concurrent OIC-Vice President for Corporate Affairs Group, Cel No. 0917-8089399)