Maria Rosario Vergeire

Maria Rosario Vergeire served as officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH) under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from July 2022 to June 2023.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in zoology from University of Santo Tomas, a Doctor of Medicine degree from De La Salle College of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health degree from University of the Philippines Manila.

Vergeire has been in public health service for decades, starting at the Marikina City health office and moving to the DOH, of which she has been a part since 2007. She rose the ranks, becoming chief of the department’s Health Research Division, then assistant secretary for public health services, and finally, undersecretary, a position she has held since 2020.

She is known for her stint as health spokesperson at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting on updates at a time when access to timely and accurate information was lifesaving.

Vergeire later served as officer-in-charge of the DOH under the Marcos administration. She was the department’s caretaker for almost a year until Marcos picked his first health secretary, Teodoro Herbosa, in June 2023.