“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela said.

It is in the same principle that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) through its Social Health Insurance Academy (SHIA), has initiated a full scale partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) in order to integrate the social health insurance (SHI) module in the basic to tertiary education curriculum.

The program was introduced to students in the tertiary level of Sultan Kudarat Educational Institution (SKEI) in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat in 2015 and it gained favorable feedbacks.

On the other hand, the program for basic education was introduced to Rizal High School at Brgy. Caniogan, Pasig City in the same year.

This year, PhilHealth, through its Regional Offices, started rolling out the program and PhilHealth Regional Office XII under its Regional Vice President, Dr. Miriam Grace G. Pamonag, has initially conducted the training to Dep-Ed XII MAPEH Division and District Coordinators led by DepEd XII Regional Education Program Supervisor, Norman Valeroso.

Pamonag said that PhilHealth cannot do it all alone. “I always believe in the power and authority of teachers in terms of influencing the minds of the young learners. I for one can attest because when my son was still young, he used to assert that his teacher said this and that and it is what is right. Indeed, there is no better way of introducing this program in order to become a lifestyle of the entire citizenry than having it done among the young.”

In turn, Valeroso said that DepEd is willing to give its all out support for the benefit of the students and the nation as a whole.

Issues on its sustainable implementation were taken up during the forum and it was agreed upon during the meeting that both parties shall conduct regular monitoring and evaluation to carry out the program successfully.

DepEd assured PhilHealth that it has already institutionalized its standard monitoring and evaluation from the Division down to the District level and that it can be utilized for this project. (END) (Hanah G. Naanep)

(Reference: Dr. Israel Francis A. Pargas, Head Executive Assistant and Concurrent OIC-Vice President for Corporate Affairs Group, Tel. 0917-8089399)