Her family owns a farm in M'lang, Cotabato. Her relatives, Rodolfo Buenaflor and Luigi Cuerpo, had served as mayors of the town.[5][6]
Career
Department of Health
Ubial began her career as a volunteer rural physician in Kidapawan, Cotabato in 1988. The following year, she became a medical specialist for the Department of Health (DOH) and was assigned to Cotabato City. In 1990, she eventually became the assistant city health officer of Cotabato City. She was then assigned to the DOH headquarters in Manila in 1991, where she headed the Polio Eradication Unit.[7]
She also worked for other programs of the DOH, including the Communicable Disease Control Service and various women's health programs.[3] From 2001 to 2005, she was the assistant regional director of the Western Visayas Center for Health Development, and was later promoted to regional director of Davao Center for Health Development, serving from 2006 to 2008.[8] In Davao City, she became acquainted with then-mayor Rodrigo Duterte.[9][10][11]
From 2008 to June 2016, she was an Assistant Secretary of the DOH.[8]
She is an anti-tobacco advocate.[2] She helped author Executive Order 26, which bans smoking in enclosed public places and transportation servicing the general population, except in designated smoking areas.[13]
The Commission on Appointments (CA) did not approve of[clarification needed] Ubial's appointment as Health Secretary on October 10, 2017, ending her de facto tenure.[14] Kabayan Representative Harry Roque, lawyer Restituto Mendoza, and Potenciano Malvar, medical director of the General Miguel M. Malvar Medical Foundation officially filed opposition to her appointment. Her dealings with PhilHealth was contentious, which led 150 of the organization's employees to oppose her appointment, citing her decision to suspend the allowances and salary adjustments of Philhealth's employees which caused "extreme demoralization". Former CEO and President of PhilHealth Hildegardes Dineros disputed the nature of his departure from Philhealth. He claimed that he was forcibly removed from his post by Ubial and did not voluntary resign as she claimed.[15]
Later career
As of October 2020, Ubial is the head of the Philippine Red Cross biomolecular laboratories.[16]
^Zamora, Fe (April 9, 2017). "So who's in charge here?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^Jimenez-David, Rina (May 17, 2017). "Ubial deserves confirmation". Columnists: At Large. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
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