It was a natural course of event – the changing of stewardship of the DSWD Field Office Eight at the Assistant Regional Director level , as the Department installed its eleventh second in rank regional official Friday, November 25, 2011, in simple rites held at its Operations Control Room.

Outgoing Assistant Regional Director, who had served the region for two years and five months, will finally be nearer to his home province in Quezon as his request for assignment to Central Office has been approved. Nestor Ramos, formerly the Head Social Worker of the DSWD – run Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) in Dipolog City, will take over his place.

“When I accepted the challenge, I have nothing but good virtues and 34 years of experience, working with the Department, “ the incoming official emphasized in his acceptance speech.   He started at the DSWD as Youth Development Worker, and rose to become what he is today. Ramos also had a chance to work in the foreign service when he became the Social Welfare Attache in Malaysia.

He added – “ my dream is to have one happy DSWD family, and with the support of the team, from the driver up, we will be able to attain this goal.” Ramos said, he sees his new assignment as challenge, not as a problem.

Assistant Secretary for Operations and Capability Building, Camilo Gudmalin, concurrently the Coach Monitor for Region Eight, stated that the changes are part of the game. The visiting official who stood witness to the turn-over ceremony, however, lauded the leadership of the past Assistant Regional Director, particularly in the implementation of the KAPIT-BISIG LABAN SA KAHIRAPAN SA KAHIRAPAN – COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED DELIVERY OF SOCIAL SERVICES : KAUNLARAN AT KAPANGYARIHAN SA BARANGAY (KALAHI-CIDSS), the latter who was then the Regional Project Manager in his time when he was the Assistant Regional Director.

Said Gudmalin, the implementation of the KALAHI-CIDSS in Region Eight under the leadership of Eclavea was “always on track or on time.” He added that this is despite the fact that the region has the biggest area coverage of the program – one of the three big ticket programs of the Department that addresses poverty.

The Assistant Secretary, on the other hand, expressed his high belief that the incoming official will be able to stand equal to the tasks awaiting him. He told the Field Office’s senior staff that “Nonong,” as Nestor Ramos is fondly called, has been building a lot of friendships beyond the confines of the rehabilitation center which has some sixty residents under his custody.

He was involved in the European and ASEAN union – led peace-keeping missions , and he is tagged as the “Carlos Romulo of DSWD.”