Koronadal City, South Cotabato – The NEDA Regional Office (NRO) XII is proud to announce that three (3) of its technical staff were favorably considered and awarded foreign scholarships for master’s degree programs by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Philippines-Australia Human Resource Organizational Development Facility (PAHRODF). The information was relayed by the NEDA Career Development and Internal Scholarships Committee (CDISC) thru the office of Regional Director Arturo G. Valero. The NRO XII candidates passed the rigorous selection process administered by the Interview Panel of said scholarship institutions.

Ms. Sandra J. Alido, Sr. Economic Development Specialist (EDS) of the Policy Formulation and Plan Division, was granted scholarship by PAHRODF to pursue a Master of Environmental Management degree in Australia for a year beginning August 2015. Ms. Alido is involved in the planning, policy review and coordination activities of NRO XII confronting the environment and macroeconomic sectors.

The NRO XII KOICA scholars are Ms. Gwyneth Grace B. Collado, Economic Development Specialist II, Development Research Division, and Engr. Romeo A. Salac, EE, Sr. EDS of the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division. Both staff will study in South Korea for the period 10 August 2015 to 20 December 2016.

Ms. Collado was awarded the Chonnam Master’s Degree Program on Community Development Leadership (MBA program for Leaders for Regional Innovation and Sustainable Economic Development). She is involved in the updating of Region XII’s Socio-Economic Profile 2014, in coordinating concerns on basic education and youth development, and in the updating of the Regional Development Research Agenda (RDRA).

Engr. Salac was accepted at Handong Global University, Korea for the Master’s Degree Program in Techno-Entrepreneurship Competency based on Electrical Engineering and ICT Convergence. He is the system administrator of the NRO XII Integrated Personnel Management System and member of the NRO XII DRR-CCA Core Group.

The attendance of NRO XII employees to the said master’s degree programs is one of the human resource development interventions of NEDA to build staff capabilities in their field of specialization, as well as to contribute to organizational performance and the goals of regional development. (Lalaine M. Sajelan – FAD)