Vergil de Claro is a policy and health systems specialist based in Manila, Philippines. Currently, he serves as Policy and Health Systems Senior Advisor for a USAID-funded family planning, maternal and neonatal health project in the Philippines. He recently earned his Master in Public Health (orientation in Health Systems and Disease Control) from the Institute of Tropical Medicine – Antwerp (ITM) this year where he is an active member of the Be-cause health Working Group on Planetary Health. While his research interests are in health systems complexity, governance, and financing, he has also been interested in the planetary health discourse and is exploring the nexus of land economics, environment, and health as a licensed real estate professional, environmental planner, and development practitioner.