MARIA LOURDES L. AGUSTIN, CESO III
Regional Director
Regional Director Agustin is a home-grown Local Government Operations Officer of the DILG-NCR instrumental in making DILG-NCR a key knowledge hub for local governance.
Known for her persistence in creating innovations, she harnessed the information assets of the region and changed the perspective of personnel and its clients on information exchange for local governance.
She made this possible by heavily ingraining the Local Governance Regional Resource Center or LGRRC in the undertakings of the region. With end-users in mind, technology is utilized to ensure real-time delivery of information for its effective exchange – communication between divisions and field offices was made easier with the creation of different online systems, with policies in place for its judicious use.
RD Agustin also rekindled efforts and interest in building avenues for learning for DILG-NCR personnel. She empowered them by pushing for their studies abroad, effectively creating a pool of experts and champions of local governance innovations.
Her efforts were recognized by the Local Government Academy, the training arm of the DILG, which hailed her as the 2018 Tatag ng Agila Awardee (Capacity Development Leadership Award) under the Capacity Development Awards for Catalysts of Excellence Program (CapDev ACE) which aims to highlight the contributions of DILG personnel as agents of change in local governance.
RD Agustin’s passion for learning is evident in her impressive academic achievements. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas, where she developed a strong foundation in governance and public affairs. Eager to deepen her knowledge and enhance her expertise, she pursued a master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines, further honing her skills in policy analysis, leadership, and public service.
Abroad, she earned Certificates in Urban and Regional Development Planning and Management and Management, Leadership and Computing Systems for Local Government Officers from the National University of Singapore and Northern Territory University in Australia, respectively.