When EVEDA Founder and CEO Zack Baala arrived at the La Union Provincial Capitol this week, Governor Mario Eduardo C. Ortega was there to welcome him.
The Governor set aside time to take Mr Baala, and Dr Fouad Frank Jaffer, who joined him on the visit, through the services the Provincial Government provides to the people of La Union. It was a generous welcome, and it set the tone for everything that followed.
"Governor Ortega welcomed us warmly and gave us his time, and that meant a great deal to us," Mr Baala said. "Hearing him explain his government's services himself showed us how much he cares about every community in La Union. We are very grateful to him and to his team."
A province built on basic services
La Union sits on the western coast of northern Luzon, in the Ilocos Region. Its 822,352 residents, counted in the 2020 Census, live across one city, 19 municipalities and 576 barangays, from busy coastal towns to small upland communities.
Governor Ortega, who took office in 2025, lists "Basic Service before anything" among his advocacies, and the Provincial Government has been taking care to the people who find it hardest to reach. In March it piloted a medical and dental drive for Indigenous Peoples.
That focus shaped the conversation at the Capitol. Alongside the Governor, Mr Baala and Dr Jaffer met Provincial Health Officer Dr Dan William Y. Dacanay II and the province's head of IT. The discussion centred on last-mile care: how a family in a remote barangay, a rural area or an Indigenous community can reach a health assessment, and a clear next step, without a long trip to hospital.
Building on what the province already does
EVEDA's proposal starts in the places people already go: barangay health stations, municipal health facilities and scheduled outreach visits. A trained local team would carry out the assessment agreed for each visit using HubX, EVEDA's portable testing system. Registration, records, available results and practitioner review would be connected in one service, so that nothing is lost between the visit and the follow-up.
Local clinicians would lead. They would make every clinical decision, explain findings in private and arrange the next step where further care is needed. Through Health Passport, residents could see their results and health history on their phone, and residents who need help would get assisted follow-up.
The Provincial Government would stay at the centre. The Provincial Health Office would choose the priority locations, agree the clinical scope and shape the service around local needs, with EVEDA in a supporting role. Progress would be measured in plain terms: communities reached, residents assessed, referrals made and follow-up completed. For Indigenous communities, any service would be planned with local representatives and health workers, respecting language, culture and each person's choice.
With Dr Dacanay and the head of IT, the EVEDA team talked through how such a service could work clinically and technically within the province's own health system.
From Melbourne to the Capitol
The visit began in Melbourne. Alf Ortega, a passionate advocate for La Union and its people, came to see EVEDA's technology there. He then invited Mr Baala and the EVEDA team to the province to demonstrate it and meet its leaders, and he organised every meeting of the visit.
In the Capitol stands a bust of Don Joaquin Ortega y Jorquino, the first Filipino civil governor of La Union, appointed in 1901. Its plaque honours his service to the province and to the Indigenous peoples of Northern Luzon. It was a fitting place to talk about care that reaches everyone.
What comes next
The visit was the first step in a conversation EVEDA hopes to continue with the province. Mr Baala believes the approach could serve communities well beyond La Union.
"Care should not depend on how far you live from a hospital," he said. "La Union's leaders want every family to have a clear next step in their care, and we would be honoured to support that. If we get it right here, it can become a model that other provinces and countries adapt for their own communities."
A note of thanks from EVEDA
Our deepest thanks go to Governor Mario Eduardo C. Ortega, for his warm welcome, for his time, and for showing us the services his government provides to the people of La Union. Thank you as well to Dr Dacanay, the head of IT and every member of the provincial team who met with us, and to Alf Ortega, who brought us together.
Captions:
- Governor Mario Eduardo C. Ortega welcomes EVEDA Founder and CEO Zack Baala to the La Union Provincial Capitol, with Alf Ortega, Provincial Health Officer Dr Dan William Y. Dacanay II, Dr Fouad Frank Jaffer, Kobsak Chinawongwatana and the provincial team.
- Dr Fouad Frank Jaffer and EVEDA Founder and CEO Zack Baala at the La Union Provincial Capitol.
- Zack Baala and Dr Fouad Frank Jaffer at the bust of Don Joaquin Ortega y Jorquino, first Filipino civil governor of La Union.
- Zack Baala and Dr Fouad Frank Jaffer with members of the provincial team.
About EVEDA
EVEDA is an Australian health technology company founded by Zack Baala. Its platform brings together HubX, clinical software and Health Passport, connecting testing, practitioner review and patient access in one service.
