RD Noval bids goodbye to DILG after 41 years

By MYLES JOSEPH E. COLASITO
August 9, 2016

TACLOBAN CITY – Pedro A. Noval Jr. bids goodbye on August 10, 2016 (Wednesday) as Regional Director of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Eastern Visayas after 41 years in government service.

Director Noval, who rose from the ranks, said that his most fulfilling accomplishment is helping the region rise from the devastation of Supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) nearly three years ago.

Today, nearly 100% of the first batch of projects for repair of municipal and city halls, markets and civic centers have been completed, while more than half of barangay facilities have been completely rebuilt or repaired, and the remaining projects are nearly completed. Likewise, Director Noval assisted then-DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas in the relief and recovery efforts right after the typhoon. Director Noval proudly notes that aside from looking after the rehabilitation of LGU facilities, he helped ensure that damaged office structures of DILG were not neglected.

A mechanical engineer, Director Noval supervised the rehabilitation of the DILG-8 regional office which houses the Training Center and Local Governance Resource Center in the second floor, motorpool, records room and. supply room as well as construction of Wellness Center, Guardhouse, Power Generator, Dormitory, and the two-story DILG Leyte and DILG Tacloban City offices.

The employees’ dormitory will save the office funding in the long-term by providing field officers and Central Office staff accommodation instead of having to billet them in hotels. Under his term, the traveling allowance for field officers was increased 300%. All provincial offices in the region have been provided service vehicles, and funds were also downloaded for construction of DILG provincial offices.

Other legacies attributed to RD Noval include: the Local Government Performance Enhancement through Teamwork (LGPET) strategy to promote employee productivity; conduct of the Yolanda Heroism Award and DRRM Summit during the past two anniversaries of the supertyphoon; improvement of office environment and systems through the adoption of the 5S Program; Call Center and One Note System; the Build Back Better Operations Manual (BBBOM); organization of the DILG-8 Employees’ Cooperative; and a program on Journeying Towards a Righteous Employee, among others.

RD Noval further remembers that he was able to visit all 143 municipalities and cities in the region, including far-flung island towns, during his more than four years stay in Eastern Visayas. His close interaction with local officials enabled the region to attain 100% compliance to the DILG Full Disclosure Policy months after he assumed office in 2011. His good relationship with local officials though, did not prevent him from religiously implementing office policies as well court decisions against local officials to the letter.

A native Cebuano, Director Noval has a Doctorate Degree in Management major in Human Resource Management, and is an Outstanding Alumnus of the University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu. He started as a Barangay Development Worker of then-Department of the Local Government and Community Development (DLGCD) in 1975, after successfully completing the six-month Pre-Service Training Course for Barangay Development Workers where he was awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Graduates.

He served as Municipal Development Officer, Assistant Provincial Director (Siquijor), Assistant City Director (Mandaue City), Regional LGA Coordinator, Division Chief, Provincial Director of Cebu Province, Asst. Regional Director for nine (9) years, Regional Director of DILG-7 from 2007 to 2011, and finally as Regional Director of DILG Region 8 from 2011 to 2016.

Director Noval has the distinction of being appointed OIC-Municipal Mayor in Liloan, Cebu in 1987-1988, and as OIC-Mayor of the Municipality of Compostela from July 2010 to October 2011, following the suspension by the Commission of Elections (COMELEC) of the effect of the proclamation of the town’s elected officials in the 2010 polls.

His vast experience in government saw him attending various training programs in Canada, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam among others that were sponsored by DILG, other agencies and training institutions.

He is highly recognized in other areas of government work. He was elected as President of the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies (ARENA-7) in Central Visayas, and as Vice President for the Visayas of the National Union of Career Executive Service Officers (NUCESO).

Workaholic by nature, RD Noval now relishes the extra time he will have with his family, aside from being able to pursue farming in Southern Leyte and teaching part-time in Cebu.