A DepEd Regional Office stands between the Central Office and the schools divisions. Its Regional Director adapts national policy to the region, sets the regional plan and standards, monitors and assists the divisions, and holds two decisions that reach every school: approving the establishment of public and private schools, and deciding administrative cases against teachers (Republic Act No. 9155, Sec. 7(B); DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003, Secs. 3.2 and 4.3). The office has twelve parts under DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015: the Office of the Regional Director, three units attached to it (Legal, Information and Communication Technology, and Public Affairs), and eight divisions.

What each of the twelve is for is set out in DepEd’s Office Functions, Version 3: one sheet for each office, released to Regional Directors and Schools Division Superintendents on May 5, 2023 (Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617). A sheet gives the office’s statement of purpose, its outcomes, and its key result areas, each with objectives, outputs and indicators. All twelve sheets are in the explorer below, word for word.

The sheets describe work. They are not a DepEd Order, they create no positions, and they move no power that RA 9155 gives to the Secretary, a Regional Director, a Schools Division Superintendent or a school head. One line runs through them: a division of the region validates and recommends, and the Regional Director approves. As of November 13, 2026, no DepEd order has amended the regional structure of 2015, and no later version of the regional sheets has been issued by a public memorandum. Several rules around the sheets have changed since 2023.

Key findings

  • Twelve offices, on one chart for every region. The Office of the Regional Director; the Legal, ICT and Public Affairs units; and eight divisions: Curriculum and Learning Management, Education Support Services, Field Technical Assistance, Quality Assurance, Policy, Planning and Research, Human Resource Development, Administrative, and Finance (DO 52, s. 2015, Enclosure No. 2). A region’s size, small, medium or large, sets its staffing (par. 10).
  • The sheets are a management document. They “will form part of the QMS Operations Manual” and guide each office’s operational plan and performance commitments (Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617, May 5, 2023). Authority comes from RA 9155, its implementing rules and DepEd Orders.
  • Twelve sheets hold 60 key result areas, 198 objectives and 447 outputs. One key result area, Office Administration and Performance Management, is on all twelve (Office Functions, Version 3, Regional Office sheets).
  • A division validates; the Regional Director approves. The Quality Assurance Division produces a “List of private schools validated and recommended for issuance of government permit to operate and government recognition”. The permit and the recognition are the Regional Director’s to grant (DepEd Order No. 88, s. 2010, Secs. 28 and 32(e)).
  • The Regional Director decides cases against teachers and school heads; the Legal Unit prepares them. A decision that imposes removal needs the Secretary’s confirmation (DepEd Order No. 49, s. 2006, Secs. 1 and 45; DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 4.3).
  • The region’s clients are the divisions. The words “school head” appear in none of the twelve regional sheets; only the HRDD’s purpose names “school leaders”. The region’s technical assistance goes to schools division offices, which assist schools (DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024, Sec. F), and the superintendent, not the region, appoints teachers and school heads (RA 9155, Sec. 7(C)(3)).
  • Later rules have overtaken parts of the sheets. DO 007, s. 2024 ended the school-based management levels that the Field Technical Assistance Division’s sheet still names. Republic Act No. 12000 added a seventeenth region. Regional lawyers now report functionally to the Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs (DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2025). Republic Act No. 12009 replaced the procurement law the Administrative Division’s sheet cites.

Explorer

What each office of the Regional Office does

12 offices, 60 key result areas, 198 objectives and 447 outputs. Choose an office to read its sheet, or search every sheet at once.

Question 1 of 12

Which office has this objective?

To issue special orders to private schools’ graduates

Office of the Regional Director and its attached units

Divisions

Office of the Regional Director

Regional Office

Purpose
1
Outcomes
3
Key result areas
6
Objectives
22
Outputs
42
Output indicators
44

Statement of purpose

The Office of the Regional Director (ORD) leads and engages Regional Office units, Schools Division Offices, partners, and other educational stakeholders in providing quality and accessible basic education through policy and direction setting, partnership building, enforcement of standards, and resource management.

Outcomes, and how each is measured

  • School Division Offices can manage curriculum implementation effectively
    • Percentage of SDOs that manage and effectively implement the curriculum.
  • Regional Office (RO) units and Schools Division Offices (SDOs) continuously improve their operations
    • Percentage of RO units and SDOs that have accomplished 100% of the targeted performance indicators in terms of access, quality, and governance compliant to standards and policies
  • Partners and other stakeholders continuously and actively support the regional offices’ programs, projects, and activities
    • Number of commitments/pledges and MOA/MOU signed with partners and stakeholders in support of the PPA implementation.

Key result areas

Strategic Leadership and Management3 objectives5 outputs4 indicators
  1. To translate the National Education Development Plan (NEDP) and framework to Operational Plan that is suited to the context and situation of the region

    Outputs

    • Regional Education Development Plan (REDP)

    Output indicators

    • Approved Regional Strategic Directions and Policy Framework
  2. To ensure RO and SDOs are managed and led effectively, efficiently, and collaboratively

    Outputs

    • WFP, AIP, APP, PPMP
    • Budget Utilization Report
    • Budget and Financial Accountability Reports

    Output indicators

    • Number of programs/ projects/ activities (PPAs) implemented by the RO per PMIS
    • Percentage of accomplishment based on the WFP
  3. To establish a mechanism for effective implementation of P/P/As in the region

    Outputs

    • Implementing Guidelines on the implementation of PPAs in the form of regional issuances (Orders, Memoranda, Advisories, etc)

    Output indicators

    • RO units and SDOs adapting the mechanism, established guidelines on the implementation of PPAs
Curriculum Management4 objectives5 outputs7 indicators
  1. To manage the development and implementation of contextualized curriculum

    Outputs

    • Contextualized learning resources per grade level across all subject areas including ALS

    Output indicators

    • Number of developed and contextualized learning resources across all subject areas including ALS
  2. To review and recommend policies on curriculum implementation (CI), Learning Delivery (LD) and Learning Resource Management (LRM)

    Outputs

    • Policy recommendation on CI, LD and LRM

    Output indicators

    • Number of policies reviewed and recommended
  3. To manage the development of contextualized learning outcomes assessments

    Outputs

    • Contextualized Learning Outcomes Assessment
    • Learning Assessment Tools

    Output indicators

    • Number of developed contextualized learning outcomes assessment
    • Number of Learning Assessment Tools/Tests Developed
    • Number of utilized Learning Assessment Tools
    • Number of SDOs that utilized the Learning Assessment Tools
  4. To develop implementing guidelines on Curriculum Implementation, Innovation, Contextualization, Learning Resource Development and Management, and Learning Outcomes Assessment

    Outputs

    • Regional Orders, Memoranda, Advisories

    Output indicators

    • Number of Regional Orders, Memoranda, and Advisories issued
Quality Assurance5 objectives6 outputs9 indicators
  1. To implement the institutionalized Regional Monitoring &, Evaluation Framework

    Outputs

    • M&E Framework

    Output indicators

    • Functional and Operational Regional M&E Framework
    • Number of RO units and SDOs implementing the Regional M&E Framework
  2. To ensure effective utilization of the QAME result to improve functional divisions and SDOs performance

    Outputs

    • Regional Policy on the utilization of QAME results

    Output indicators

    • Number of RO units and SDOs which adopted the Regional Policy on the utilization of QAME results
    • Percentage of RO units and SDOs implementing Functional and Operational M&E Framework
  3. To ensure the approval for the establishment, renewal, and recognition of private schools

    Outputs

    • Government permit to operate
    • Recognition issued

    Output indicators

    • Number of approved applications for the establishment of Private schools
    • Number of schools compliant to standards
  4. To ensure the approval for the establishment, conversion, naming, and renaming of Public Schools

    Outputs

    • Issuance of School ID and UACS

    Output indicators

    • Number of newly established schools with School ID and UACS
    • Number of newly approved integrated school
  5. To ensure the proper implementation of P/P/As for continuous improvement and sustainability

    Outputs

    • Policy gap analysis and recommendations for improvement and sustainability

    Output indicators

    • Number of P/P/As per PMIS and WFP monitored, evaluated, and results analyzed
Partnership Building4 objectives9 outputs6 indicators
  1. To identify resource needs and potential local and international donors

    Outputs

    • Signed MOA/MOU
    • List of resource needs with the profile of potential local and international donors

    Output indicators

    • Number of identified local and international donors of education-related program/project
  2. To craft localized policies and standards for partnership building

    Outputs

    • Regional Memoranda
    • Localized policies and standards prescribed for partnership building such as Regional Orders, Memoranda, Advisories

    Output indicators

    • Number of localized policies and standards prescribed and adapted
    • Number of signed MOAs/MOUs
  3. To create opportunities for partnership in relevant areas

    Outputs

    • Signed MOAs/MOUs
    • Support/Assistance received with applicable support documents (e.g. contracts, pledges, etc.)

    Output indicators

    • Number of stakeholders’ convergence/partnership engagements conducted
    • Number of Local/International partnerships established
  4. To establish effective M&E for partnership sustainability

    Outputs

    • Progress report
    • M & E Tool for sustained partnership
    • Organized information system

    Output indicators

    • Number of standard tools for effective M&E and sustained partnerships
People Development3 objectives7 outputs8 indicators
  1. To ensure that the recruitment, selection, and placement system is implemented effectively and efficiently

    Outputs

    • List of employees hired
    • Contextualized Policy on RSP

    Output indicators

    • Number of employees promoted
    • Number of qualified and competent employees hired within the allowable turn-around time
    • Percentage of vacant items filled up without delay
  2. To institutionalize a comprehensive employee welfare program on wellness, rewards and incentives, and gender and development, etc.

    Outputs

    • Localized Policy on Employee Welfare with EOP
    • Contextualized Policy on GAD

    Output indicators

    • Number of policies on comprehensive employees’ program formulated and implemented.
  3. To provide continuous professional learning and development for RO and SDO personnel

    Outputs

    • Localized Human Resource Development (HRD) System
    • Localized L&D Policy
    • List of employees capacitated

    Output indicators

    • RO & SDOs L & D Plans implemented
    • Number of L & D activities for RO and SDO personnel
    • Number of localized L & D policies implemented
    • Percentage of employees capacitated
Office Administration and Performance Management3 objectives10 outputs10 indicators: Office of the Regional Director
  1. To establish and maintain systems and processes geared towards administrative effectiveness and efficiency

    Outputs

    • Operations Manual and/or Citizens Charter
    • Document Tracking System
    • Administrative and Financial Reports

    Output indicators

    • Streamlined Processes/Services and Procedures as declared in the Operations Manual and Citizen Charter
    • Operational document tracking system
    • Number of pertinent forms and documents accomplished and submitted on time (e.g. WFP, PPMP, APP)
  2. To promote a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration

    Outputs

    • List of employees given recognition
    • Citizen/Client Satisfaction Survey (CCSS) Results and Analysis
    • Report on Actions taken relative to the CCSS results (if there’s any)

    Output indicators

    • Number of recognition initiatives conducted
    • CCSS rating received
    • Number of satisfied clients/ customers based on feedback received
  3. To conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation of office/staff performance for the provision of relevant learning and development programs

    Outputs

    • IPCRF/OPCRF Accomplishments
    • Capacitated staff
    • Training Completion Reports
    • Report on performance coaching

    Output indicators

    • Percentage of achievement of IPCRF/OPCRF
    • Number of staff who attended learning and development programs
    • Number of performance coaching activity conducted
    • Number of Performance reviews conducted

DepEd Office Functions, Version 3 (Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617, May 5, 2023): the Regional Office sheets; DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015, Enclosure No. 2

Every purpose, outcome, key result area, objective, output and indicator is in the words of DepEd’s Office Functions, Version 3, spelling and abbreviations included. How the offices are arranged on the board, the short names on its cells, and the counts are the explorer’s own. The sheets describe what each office is for and what it produces; they do not create positions or change who decides what under Republic Act No. 9155.

What a DepEd Regional Office is

RA 9155 gives each region an office and a director: “There shall be as many regional offices as may be provided by law. Each regional office shall have a director, an assistant director and an office staff for program promotion and support, planning, administrative and fiscal services” (Sec. 7(B)). The implementing rules add legal services to that staff (DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 3.1).

The Regional Director’s authority opens with a limit. It is exercised “Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards”. Section 7(B) then lists thirteen powers and a general clause. The Regional Director:

  • defines a regional educational policy framework, develops a regional basic education plan and regional educational standards, and monitors, evaluates and assesses regional learning outcomes;
  • undertakes research projects, manages regionwide projects, and manages the region’s database and management information system;
  • ensures compliance with national criteria for recruiting, selecting and training staff, determines the organization of divisions and districts, and approves their staffing pattern;
  • hires, places and evaluates regional office employees, and evaluates all schools division superintendents and assistant superintendents;
  • formulates the budget in coordination with the regional development council, and manages the regional office’s personnel, physical and fiscal resources; and
  • approves the establishment of public and private elementary and high schools and learning centers.

The implementing rules add three points:

  1. The approval of schools is “subject to the set of standards and guidelines formulated by the Secretary of Education for this purpose” (Sec. 3.2(13)).
  2. The Regional Director performs “oversight functions in the implementation of laws, policies, programs, rules and regulations within the responsibility of the Department of Education in the region” (Sec. 3.2(14)).
  3. The Regional Director appoints and disciplines regional office employees, except the assistant regional director (Sec. 3.3), and “shall continue exercising disciplinary authority over the teaching personnel insofar as the latter are covered by specific and exclusive disciplinary provisions under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers (R.A. No. 4670)” (Sec. 4.3).

A Regional Director and an Assistant Regional Director must be career executive service officers (RA 9155, Sec. 7). DepEd’s rules of procedure count both among the Presidential appointees whose cases only the Secretary decides (DO 49, s. 2006, Sec. 1). The Secretary delegates the supervision of field offices to an undersecretary: the Undersecretary for Governance and Operations in the 2015 structure (DO 52, s. 2015, par. 7(d)), and Field Operations is now an area of the Operations strand (DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2024).

DepEd counted “16 Regional Offices (excluding BARMM, which is an autonomous region)” in 2022 (DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2022). The Negros Island Region, created in 2024, is the seventeenth. Who Decides What in DepEd? sets the Regional Director beside the four other levels of RA 9155.

Where the twelve offices come from: DO 52, s. 2015

The Department of Budget and Management approved DepEd’s Rationalization Plan on November 15, 2013. DO 52, s. 2015, issued on October 30, 2015, put the new structures into effect “no later than January 01, 2016” (pars. 4 and 15). In the regions it kept the director’s office, renamed two divisions, merged three into one, abolished one, and created three units and five divisions (Enclosure No. 1).

Office Sections on the 2015 chart What happened in 2015
Office of the Regional Director Office of the Regional Director Proper; Office of the Assistant Regional Director Retained
Legal Unit, ICT Unit, Public Affairs Unit Attached to the Office of the Regional Director Created; the earlier structure had no such units
Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD) Learning Resource Management Section Consolidated from the Elementary Education, Secondary Education, and Non-Formal Education / Alternative Learning System divisions
Education Support Services Division (ESSD) School Health Section; Education Facilities Section; Program and Services Section Created
Field Technical Assistance Division (FTAD) None Created
Quality Assurance Division (QAD) None Created
Policy, Planning and Research Division (PPRD) None Created
Human Resource Development Division (HRDD) NEAP at the Region Created
Administrative Division Cash; Payroll; Personnel; Records; Property and Supply; General Services Administrative Services Division, retained and renamed
Finance Division Accounting; Budget Budget and Finance Division, retained and renamed

The regional Physical Education and School Sports Division was abolished. RA 9155 had abolished the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports and kept school sports and physical fitness in the curriculum (Sec. 9).

Region size. “Regional offices (ROs) shall be classified as small, medium or large”, and the size classification “will also determine the minimum staffing complement” (DO 52, s. 2015, par. 10). Enclosure No. 2 has one chart for all regional offices, and it marks no office as belonging only to larger regions. The division chart differs: it marks one section as only for medium to very large divisions, as Schools Division Office Functions: OSDS, CID and SGOD explains.

What the Office Functions, Version 3 are

On May 5, 2023, Undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, for Human Resource and Organizational Development, sent Regional Directors and Schools Division Superintendents a one-page memorandum with the subject “DepEd RO & SDO Office Functions Version 3”. It released the sheets for the regional and division offices and said what they are for:

“These documents will form part of the QMS Operations Manual and shall also serve as a guide in the preparation of the Office Operational Plan, wherein the priorities of the office for the current year will be translated into their Organization Performance and Commitment Review (OPCR) and in accomplishing the Individual Performance and Commitment Review (IPCR).”

Future revisions go through the Organization Effectiveness Division of the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD).

Every sheet has the same parts: a statement of purpose, outcomes with outcome indicators, and key result areas. Each key result area has objectives, and each objective has outputs and output indicators.

Office Key result areas Objectives Outputs
Office of the Regional Director 6 22 42
Legal Unit 4 15 36
ICT Unit 4 12 26
Public Affairs Unit 4 15 37
Curriculum and Learning Management Division 5 19 40
Education Support Services Division 5 18 44
Field Technical Assistance Division 3 13 33
Quality Assurance Division 4 14 25
Policy, Planning and Research Division 5 13 37
Human Resource Development Division 8 18 41
Administrative Division 7 26 54
Finance Division 5 13 32
All twelve 60 198 447

Each count includes one key result area that every sheet carries: Office Administration and Performance Management. It has three objectives on each sheet. The office keeps an “Operations Manual and/or Citizens Charter” and a document tracking system, recognizes its employees and acts on the Citizen/Client Satisfaction Survey, and reviews the performance of the office and its staff through “IPCRF/OPCRF Accomplishments” and performance coaching.

What each regional office does

The link in each section opens the full sheet in the explorer above.

Office of the Regional Director

The Office of the Regional Director (ORD) “leads and engages Regional Office units, Schools Division Offices, partners, and other educational stakeholders in providing quality and accessible basic education through policy and direction setting, partnership building, enforcement of standards, and resource management.”

Its sheet gathers at the director’s level what the divisions prepare. Under Strategic Leadership and Management it produces the Regional Education Development Plan and the region’s issuances, “Implementing Guidelines on the implementation of PPAs in the form of regional issuances (Orders, Memoranda, Advisories, etc)”. Under Curriculum Management it lists contextualized learning resources and assessments. Under Quality Assurance it lists the regional monitoring and evaluation framework and two outputs for private schools: “Government permit to operate” and “Recognition issued”. Partnership Building and People Development cover agreements with donors and the hiring, welfare and training of regional and division personnel.

One objective needs care. The sheet reads: “To ensure the approval for the establishment, conversion, naming, and renaming of Public Schools”, with the output “Issuance of School ID and UACS”. The Regional Director approves the establishment of a school. Naming and renaming belong elsewhere, and the School ID of a new public school follows the Secretary’s confirmation; the section on what goes to the region gives the rule for each. Open the ORD’s sheet.

The Legal Unit “provides prompt and responsive legal services to the stakeholders of the region to ensure integrity and accountability in public service and the efficient delivery of quality basic education.”

Three key result areas carry its work:

  • Investigation. It evaluates complaints, supports formal investigations “within the jurisdiction of the RD”, investigates cases lodged with the Central Office when regional staff are assigned to them, and handles complaints against private schools, for which its outputs are “Show cause orders” and “Cease and desist orders”.
  • Resolution of cases. It prepares the “Resolutions, Orders, Decisions” of cases “within the disciplinary jurisdiction of the RD” and monitors whether a decision was carried out.
  • Legal Services. It issues “Legal Clearances (i.e., Certificates of No Pending Administrative Case)” for retirement, travel abroad and other personnel actions, represents the region before courts and quasi-judicial bodies with the Office of the Solicitor General, gives legal support on the titling of school sites, reviews contracts, and resolves requests for the correction of entries in school records.

The unit prepares; the Regional Director signs. The disciplining authorities over teachers are “the Secretary and the Regional Directors in their respective regions” (DO 49, s. 2006, Sec. 1). Since July 3, 2025, DepEd lawyers in regional and division offices “shall functionally report to the Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs”, and regional offices seek that office’s clearance before releasing a legal opinion meant for outside the Department or with policy implications. The same order says this “does not diminish the authority of Regional Directors or Schools Division Superintendents over administrative matters” (DO 021, s. 2025, pars. 3 and 5). Open the Legal Unit’s sheet.

Information and Communication Technology Unit

The ICT Unit “provides support to regional office personnel and Division Information Technology Officers (DITOs) to ensure quality services through delivery and deployment of ICT-enabled solutions and services”.

It monitors how regional units and divisions comply with national and regional ICT policies, keeps a regional information systems plan “aligned to the CO ISSP approved plan”, builds and maintains systems that automate the region’s own processes, and reviews ICT contracts and service level agreements “in coordination with Legal Unit”. Open the ICT Unit’s sheet.

Public Affairs Unit

The Public Affairs Unit (PAU) “provides the stakeholders with accurate, adequate, and timely information and strengthens linkages with internal and external stakeholders towards enhanced awareness and perception of the Region and of the Department.”

Its three key result areas are Communication Systems and Processes, Communication Linkages, and Communication Support. The unit carries the national communications framework into the region, keeps a crisis management plan, applies the DepEd Service Marks and Visual Identity Manual and the DepEd Manual of Style to regional issuances, writes the Regional Director’s messages and press materials, and reports on client feedback.

One of its objectives is “To act as spokesperson /representative of the RD and ARD”. The rule on who speaks is in the Media Management Guidelines of March 25, 2026: “The RD shall serve as the official spokesperson for matters within the RO. The RD may designate an Information Officer (IO) or other qualified personnel through a written order” (DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2026, Sec. V.A, item 1(b)). Open the PAU’s sheet.

Curriculum and Learning Management Division

The CLMD “manages and collaborates with the Schools Division Offices in the provision and implementation of the Basic Education Curriculum towards the improvement of learning outcomes by contextualizing the curriculum, enforcing standards, and increasing access to quality and varied learning resources.”

All three of its outcomes are stated for divisions, not schools. The first reads: “Schools Division Offices can manage and supervise the effective and efficient implementation of the relevant curriculum in the schools and learning centers”. Its key result areas:

  • Curriculum Management: a contextualized curriculum framework for the region, and technical assistance to divisions on implementation and innovation.
  • Learning Delivery: a master list of contextualized delivery and instructional innovations, monitored each quarter.
  • Learning Resource Management: contextualized learning resources for each learning area and grade level, “including ALS, LWDs and MADRASAH, IPED LRs, Kinder”, their quality assurance, and their publication for divisions to use.
  • Learning Outcomes Assessment: contextualized assessment, analysis of test results by learning area, and support to testing coordinators.

A school meets the CLMD’s work through its division’s Curriculum Implementation Division. DepEd Contextualization, Localization and Indigenization covers what a school may adapt. Open the CLMD’s sheet.

Education Support Services Division

The ESSD “collaborates with the Regional Office units and Schools Division Offices, in the provision of services and facilities for learners’ readiness, wellness, and youth leadership formation towards a safe, child-friendly learning environment.”

Its four program areas are wide:

  • Partnership and Linkages: the DepEd Partnership Database System, agreements with partners, the region’s consolidated Brigada Eskwela report, partners for disaster risk reduction and education in emergencies, and child protection initiatives with regional line agencies.
  • Educational Facilities Management: needs assessments for school buildings and furniture, allocation of resources among divisions, and a check that “education facilities constructed by other government agencies such as the local government units and the private sector comply with the minimum standards of DepEd”.
  • Health and Nutrition Services Management: supervision and monitoring of health and nutrition services in the divisions.
  • Program/Project Management: capacity building for divisions, including sports events and the regional meet, and the prepositioning of supplies for disaster response.

Open the ESSD’s sheet.

Field Technical Assistance Division

The FTAD “leads, coordinates, and integrates the provision of Technical Assistance in collaboration with the Regional Field Technical Assistance Teams, the Schools Division Offices covering all areas of management, and operations based on the needs to have a better and improved School-Based Management practice that leads to increased learning outcomes and turnaround schools.”

Under Technical Assistance, it runs the region’s technical assistance teams, assesses what each division needs, writes the regional technical assistance plan and tracks results. Under Knowledge Management, it keeps the region’s record of practices that worked, sorts the “Bottlenecks, Lags, Issues, and Concerns (BLICs)” that divisions report, and sets document standards for the region’s Quality Management System.

DO 007, s. 2024 gives the division its place in school-based management: the regional team “is led by the Field Technical Assistance Division (FTAD)”, and the region “is responsible for ensuring that its SDOs are capacitated in providing technical assistance to schools” (Sec. F, item 3). The sheet’s outputs on school-based management levels are out of date; see Is Version 3 still current?. Open the FTAD’s sheet.

Quality Assurance Division

The QAD “monitors and evaluates the performance of RO units and SDOs on the compliance to statutory and regulatory policy standards and requirements for the continuous improvement of organizational performance and delivery of basic education services.”

Three key result areas:

  • Quality Assurance: the regional monitoring and evaluation framework, functional monitoring and evaluation systems in the divisions, and the declared processes of the Quality Management System.
  • Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation: quarterly and midterm reviews of the performance of regional units and divisions.
  • Regulatory and Developmental Services to Schools: validating private schools for permits and recognition, special orders for private school graduates, recommending the establishment, separation and closure of public schools, and an annual report on private schools.

Orders confirm the first two roles. The Regional Director “shall be the overall lead of the regional M&E system”, and the QAD is “the main process owner” (DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2022, Sec. VIII). The QAD is also the office recommended as the region’s secretariat and internal quality audit team for the Quality Management System (DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2021, Sec. VIII). The third key result area is the one that receives requests about schools. Open the QAD’s sheet.

Policy, Planning and Research Division

The PPRD “provides the Regional Office, Schools Division Offices, and other stakeholders an accurate, updated, reliable and relevant data, information and analysis for policy review and recommendation, planning, research, and other data-driven decisions.”

Its key result areas are Regional Education Planning, Policy Review and Monitoring, Research Management, and Data Management. The division leads the writing of the Regional Education Development Plan, which the sheet lists with a “Plan submitted to Regional Development Council (RDC) and/or Central Office (CO)”, and it checks that each division’s plan aligns with the region’s (“Quality assured DEDP”). It reviews regional issuances and sends policy recommendations to the Central Office. It manages research, including uploads to e-Saliksik and the Basic Education Research Fund. And it monitors the updating of regional data in the Central Office’s systems, which the sheet names as “LIS, EBEIS, NSBI”.

The PPRD is the secretariat of the Regional Research Committee and manages the region’s research fund (DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2017, Secs. V.A and V.C). DepEd Research Management Guidelines: DO 16, s. 2017 and BERF: How to Get DepEd Action Research Funded follow a proposal from a school to the region. Open the PPRD’s sheet.

Human Resource Development Division

The HRDD “supports Regional Office (RO) and Schools Division Office (SDO) teaching, teaching-related, non-teaching personnel, and school leaders to become effective and efficient in the delivery of Basic Education Services by addressing their needs through the development and implementation of strategic Human Resource (HR) systems towards improved personal and professional competencies.”

It has eight key result areas, the most of any regional office: policies and plans, induction, professional learning and development, employee welfare, rewards and recognition, performance management, the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) in the region, and the shared one on office administration. The division develops people. It does not process appointments, which belong to the Administrative Division.

The sheet keeps “Regional NEAP Management and Operation” inside the HRDD. DepEd Order No. 011, s. 2019 adopted a design, “subject to refinements”, that gives every region a NEAP Regional Office with two reporting lines, answerable “to the NEAP-CO on the technical matters of professional learning” and “to the Regional Directors on operational matters”. Republic Act No. 11713 of April 27, 2022 made NEAP a component unit of DepEd and left its organizational structure to the Secretary (Republic Act No. 7784, Sec. 17, as amended). The DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026 (2nd Edition) lists the regional service under “Human Resource Development Division – NEAP-R”. Open the HRDD’s sheet.

Administrative Division

The Administrative Division “provides the Regional Office (RO) and stakeholders with client-focused administrative support services.”

Six program areas cover the region’s own housekeeping and two services the public uses:

  • Human Resource Management: service records, leave cards and 201 files; payroll; and personnel actions, with outputs that include “Approved Appointment, Retirement, ERF, Reclassification of positions and Transfer of workstation”.
  • Cash Management and Asset Management: collections, disbursements, liquidation of cash advances, and the inventory of property.
  • Records Management: correspondence, the document tracking system, and “the certification, authentication, and verification of Schools records in accordance with DepEd and DFA guidelines”.
  • Transportation, Security, and Facilities’ Utilization and Maintenance Management.
  • Procurement Management: the regional procurement plan and monitoring reports.

Open the Administrative Division’s sheet.

Finance Division

The Finance Division “provides the Regional Office units and Schools Division Offices (SDOs) accurate and timely financial advice, information, and services to ensure equitable allocation, judicious spending, and efficient utilization of fiscal resources.”

Its key result areas are Financial Management, Budget Preparation, Mobilization and Utilization of Financial Resources, and Financial Accountability and Reporting. It trains the finance staff of divisions and implementing units, co-leads budget preparation with the PPRD, releases regional lump-sum funds to divisions and implementing units through an “Issued Sub-Allotment Release Order (Sub-ARO)”, and consolidates the financial reports of the region and its divisions. Open the Finance Division’s sheet.

Validate and recommend, or approve

For decisions about schools, the sheets use two sets of verbs. A division validates, assesses, endorses and recommends; approval is the Regional Director’s. The QAD’s sheet shows the pattern in one objective and its indicator: “To validate private schools’ compliance to requirements and standards of quality basic education”, counted by the “Number of private schools assessed, endorsed, and approved by RD”. For public schools, the QAD’s objective begins “To recommend”.

The orders draw the same line, with a step before the region and often a step after it.

Step A new public school Recognition of a private senior high school A complaint against a teacher
Governing order DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2014, Part VI DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2026, Part VII DO 49, s. 2006
In the division A Division Review and Evaluation Committee, organized by the superintendent, evaluates the request; the superintendent recommends by June 30 The division’s SGOD validates the documents. A Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection Team that the Regional Director creates, with regional and division members, inspects the school; the superintendent endorses its report Once the Regional Director has issued a formal charge, the superintendent, or a representative of at least division supervisor rank, chairs the committee that hears the case (Sec. 21(a))
In the region, before the Regional Director A Regional Inspectorate Team, chaired by the Assistant Regional Director with the QAD chief as co-chair, reviews the documents and may inspect the site, from July to August 31 The QAD validates and reviews within 10 working days, then recommends The Legal Unit evaluates the complaint and prepares the formal charge, the orders and the resolutions
Regional Director Approves, then presents the budget needs to the national Management Committee in November Decides within three working days by signing the approval or the denial Decides within 30 days of receiving the investigation report (Sec. 42); the report serves “only as a guide” (Sec. 41)
Above the region The Secretary confirms the new schools, and the Planning Service issues each School ID A denial upheld on reconsideration is “subject to confirmation by the Secretary of Education through the Private Education Office” Removal needs the Secretary’s confirmation (Sec. 45); heavier penalties may be appealed to the Secretary, then to the Civil Service Commission (Sec. 51)

Two points follow for anyone preparing papers for the region. The division of the region that receives the papers does not grant the request, so a favorable validation is not yet an approval. And the Regional Director is not always the last step: a new public school waits for the Secretary’s confirmation and for funds in the next budget (DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI.A, items 3 and 4).

What goes to the region, and who decides

Schools, teachers and division staff bring these matters to a Regional Office most often. Each handling office’s sheet can be opened in the explorer above. Search every sheet there for a word such as “permit” or “research” to see every office that touches it.

Matter Regional office that handles it Key result area in its sheet Who decides, and the basis
Establishing a public school, separating an annex, merging schools, or integrating them QAD, with the Regional Inspectorate Team Regulatory and Developmental Services to Schools The Regional Director approves; the Secretary confirms (RA 9155, Sec. 7(B)(13); DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI.A, items 3 and 4)
Converting a school into an implementing unit Finance Division, which assists None The Central Office identifies the schools that meet the criteria; regional and division finance offices give technical assistance (DepEd Order No. 033, s. 2025)
Naming or renaming a public school None; the school furnishes the region a copy Quality Assurance, in the ORD’s sheet The local sanggunian, by ordinance, on the Local School Board’s recommendation; the President or Congress may also name a school. The Secretary’s approval “is no longer necessary” (DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI, A.5; DepEd Order No. 29, s. 2011)
Permit to operate a private elementary or secondary school QAD Regulatory and Developmental Services to Schools The Regional Director grants the permit and signs it “for the Secretary of Education” (DO 88, s. 2010, Secs. 28, 30.4 and 30.10, as amended by DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2011)
Government recognition of a private school QAD Regulatory and Developmental Services to Schools The Regional Director, on the superintendent’s report and recommendation (DO 88, s. 2010, Sec. 32(e)); for senior high school, on the QAD’s recommendation (DO 012, s. 2026, Part VII.G)
Special order for the graduation of private secondary school learners QAD Regulatory and Developmental Services to Schools Eligibility to graduate is “certified to by the Secretary or his duly authorized representative through a corresponding special order” (DO 88, s. 2010, Secs. 149 and 150). The school applies through its division; the QAD prepares the order and the Regional Director approves and signs it (DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026)
Private school tuition and other fees QAD None The school files its application with the Regional Director (DO 88, s. 2010, Sec. 181)
Sanctions on, or closure of, a private school Legal Unit and QAD Investigation, in the Legal Unit’s sheet The Regional Director; the school may appeal to the Secretary within 15 days (DO 88, s. 2010, Secs. 34, 43 and 189, as amended by DepEd Order No. 041, s. 2022)
Administrative complaint against a teacher or school head Legal Unit Investigation; Resolution of cases The Regional Director or the Secretary. The complaint is filed with the Regional Director (DO 49, s. 2006, Secs. 1 and 6)
Administrative complaint against non-teaching personnel of a division None None The Schools Division Superintendent (DO 49, s. 2006, Sec. 1; DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 4.3)
Certificate of no pending administrative case Legal Unit Legal Services The Legal Unit issues it as a service
Correction of an entry in a school record Legal Unit Legal Services For a graduate’s major correction (not a simple spelling error, needing legal review, or not matching the birth record): a Resolution or Order signed by the Regional Director. A purely typographical error goes to the division’s Legal Unit, and an enrolled learner’s record is corrected through the school (DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026)
Certification, authentication and verification (CAV) of school records Administrative Division, Records Section Records Management “The issuance of CAV shall be the function and responsibility of the Records Section in DepEd Regional Offices” (DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017, Sec. V, item 9)
Reclassification of a teaching or school head position Administrative Division Human Resource Management The superintendent recommends; the region’s credentials evaluator, personnel officer and chief administrative officer review; the Regional Director approves the papers and their transmittal to the budget department’s regional office (DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, Enclosure No. 2, Secs. 50 to 55, for teaching positions; Enclosure No. 3, Secs. 49 to 54, for School Principal positions)
Appointment of teachers and school heads None None The Schools Division Superintendent (RA 9155, Sec. 7(C)(3)). The Regional Director appoints regional office employees (DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 3.3)
Research proposals and the Basic Education Research Fund PPRD Research Management The Regional Research Committee, chaired by the Assistant Regional Director, evaluates and approves regional and division proposals and confirms school proposals that the division committee endorsed (DO 16, s. 2017, Sec. V.A)
The regional basic education plan and regional standards PPRD Regional Education Planning The Regional Director (RA 9155, Sec. 7(B)(1) to (3)). The division plan remains the superintendent’s (Sec. 7(C)(1))
Monitoring and evaluation of divisions; program implementation reviews QAD Quality Assurance; Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation The Regional Director leads the regional system; the QAD leads the quarterly review (DO 029, s. 2022, Sec. VIII)
Technical assistance FTAD Technical Assistance The region assists divisions; a school’s assistance comes from its division’s field technical assistance team (DO 007, s. 2024, Sec. F)
Recognition of a professional development program proposed by a division HRDD, for NEAP in the region Regional NEAP Management and Operation Division proposals go to the NEAP Regional Office (DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2020, par. 29; DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026)
Downloading of funds Finance Division Mobilization and Utilization of Financial Resources The region’s Budget Section downloads to divisions and implementing units the sub-allotments it receives from the Central Office (DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026). School MOOE does not pass through the region (DepEd Order No. 008, s. 2019, Sec. V.A)
An additional school district Office of the Regional Director None The Regional Director, on criteria set by the Secretary and the superintendent’s recommendation (DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 5.2). All redistricting requests have been on hold since August 18, 2021 (DepEd Memorandum No. 057, s. 2021)

Notes on four rows

School IDs. For a new public school, the Secretary “through the Planning Service shall confirm which schools are to be established” and the Planning Service issues the School ID (DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI.C, item 10). DepEd’s Citizen’s Charter 2026 repeats that rule for public schools. For a private school, it has the QAD notify the regional PPRD of a newly granted permit or recognition “for assigning school ID” in the Learner Information System. A school deals with the region either way; the confirmation of a new public school is the Secretary’s.

Private school permits. DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2023 gave certain private schools two school years, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, to complete the requirements for a permit. An application to open a school or a new level is due on or before August 30 before the school year it would start, and the authority, or a written disapproval, is issued not later than February 28 of the following year (DO 88, s. 2010, Sec. 30, as amended by DO 11, s. 2011). Senior high school providers on provisional permits now follow DO 012, s. 2026, to which the private schools manual applies “suppletorily”.

Teachers’ cases. The Legal Unit’s sheet describes formal investigations “at the Regional Office – Proper (i.e., teaching personnel and non-teaching personnel within the Regional Office)” and counts complaints “directed for investigation at the SDO level”. The Regional Director’s authority is wider than the regional office: it covers teachers throughout the region (DO 49, s. 2006, Sec. 1). The division’s own sheet has its legal staff investigate “complaints against teaching personnel as may be delegated by the Regional Office (RO)”. Who Disciplines DepEd Teachers and School Heads? follows a case from complaint to appeal.

School funds. The Department of Budget and Management releases a school’s MOOE to the school, if it is an implementing unit, or to its division office (DO 008, s. 2019, Sec. V.A). The region’s part is reporting: divisions report the status of school MOOE to the region every 5th day of the following month, and the region consolidates the reports for the Central Office every 10th day (Part VI, item 6). DepEd School MOOE: Allowable Expenses and Liquidation and Implementing Unit or Non-IU: How a School Gets Its MOOE explain both routes.

Regional offices and their division counterparts

Enclosure No. 3 of DO 52, s. 2015 pairs the offices of the three levels. Read for the region and the division, it gives this table.

Regional Office Schools Division Office
Legal Unit Legal Unit, under the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent
ICT Unit ICT Unit, under the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent
Public Affairs Unit Social Mobilization and Networking Section of the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD)
CLMD, with its Learning Resource Management and Development Section Curriculum Implementation Division (CID), with its Learning Resources Management, Instructional Management, and District Instructional Supervision sections
ESSD, for partnerships and disaster risk reduction Social Mobilization and Networking Section of the SGOD
ESSD, for special programs and services and school health The SGOD, since “all units under SGOD may be mobilized for learner support programs and activities”, and its School Health Section
Education Facilities Section of the ESSD Education Facilities Section of the SGOD
PPRD and QAD, as counterparts of the Planning Service Planning and Research Section of the SGOD
HRDD, FTAD and QAD, as counterparts of BHROD The SGOD, with its Human Resource Development Section and its School Management Monitoring and Evaluation Section
NEAP in the regions, part of the HRDD Human Resource Development Section of the SGOD
Administrative Division: personnel, records, cash, property and supply, general services The same services in the Administrative and Finance Services Section, under the superintendent’s office
Finance Division: Accounting and Budget sections Accounting and Budget units of the Administrative and Finance Services Section

Two patterns matter to a school.

Five regional divisions and one unit meet in one division of the SDO. The ESSD, FTAD, QAD, PPRD and HRDD, and the Public Affairs Unit, all have their counterpart in the SGOD. The CLMD alone pairs with the CID. A regional memorandum on health, facilities, planning, research, partnerships, training or school-based management reaches a school through the SGOD.

The client changes at each level. The regional sheets set outcomes for divisions: “Schools Division Office provides appropriate, timely, relevant, data-driven, and contextualized technical assistance to schools and learning centers” (FTAD). The division sheets set them for schools: “Schools and Learning Centers (LCs) effectively and efficiently deliver education services” (SGOD). The two also hand work to each other. The SGOD counts the “Number of schools endorsed for establishment/conversion/closed and approved by RO” and the “Number of private schools/ TVI/ non-DepEd schools endorsed for Special order”, which are the QAD’s inputs.

The division sheets are in Schools Division Office Functions: OSDS, CID and SGOD, and their Central Office counterparts are in DepEd Central Office Functions: Bureaus and Services.

How the 2023 sheets differ from the 2015 general functions

Enclosure No. 4 of DO 52, s. 2015 gave each regional division one sentence, headed “Accountability”, and each unit a short list of functions. The 2023 sheets turn each sentence into key result areas with outputs that can be counted. In most offices the purpose is the same and the detail is new. A few offices gained work that the 2015 text does not mention.

Office General functions in 2015 (Enclosure No. 4) What the 2023 sheet adds or changes
Office of the Regional Director “leading in policy and direction setting, standard setting and enforcement”, partnership building, and managing the region’s financial, human and physical resources Six key result areas, with named outputs for the regional plan, regional issuances, private school permits and recognition, and partnerships
Legal Unit Legal advice and opinions; interpreting laws and contracts; legal and investigation matters “concerning the regional office and its employees, and those delegated by the Central Office” Resolution of cases within the Regional Director’s disciplinary jurisdiction, legal clearances, representation with the Solicitor General, school site titling, complaints against private schools, and correction of school records
ICT Unit One function: managing the ICT system and infrastructure Monitoring of ICT policy compliance in the divisions, a regional information systems plan, and oversight of ICT service providers
Public Affairs Unit The communication system, direct support to the Regional Director and other spokespersons, and communications in a crisis The national communications framework, the standards of the visual identity manual and the manual of style, and client satisfaction feedback
CLMD “full implementation of the articulated basic education curriculum (pre-school, elementary, secondary & ALS), its localization/indigenization” and access to learning resources “contextualizing the curriculum, enforcing standards”, and a key result area on Learning Outcomes Assessment
ESSD Programs and resources for the divisions through school health and nutrition, education facilities, and programs and services “(e.g. DRRM, School Sports, Guidance and Counseling, etc.)” Partnership and Linkages as the first key result area, with child protection initiatives
FTAD “To coordinate and integrate the provision of technical assistance (TA) to schools divisions” School-based management, “turnaround schools”, and a key result area on Knowledge Management
QAD “assessing, monitoring and evaluating the region and schools division performances” A regulatory key result area for private and public schools, and the Quality Management System
PPRD Plans, policies and standards “through the conduct of research studies and the development and maintenance of the Regional Education Planning and Data Management Systems” The same four lines of work, with outputs such as the 3-year rolling plan, e-Saliksik uploads and policy recommendations sent to the Central Office
HRDD “an efficient and effective training and development system”, with NEAP at the Region Induction, scholarships, succession, employee welfare, rewards and recognition, and performance management
Administrative Division Personnel, records, correspondence, supplies, equipment, collection, disbursement, security and custody of property Procurement Management, and CAV of school records
Finance Division “To provide advice to the Regional Director on the financial resource of the region” and services in budgeting, accounting and reporting Service to the divisions: finance training, review of their budget documents, sub-allotment of regional funds, and monitoring of their financial performance

Two differences are structural. Enclosure No. 3 paired the Central Office’s Procurement Management Service with the regional Finance Division; the 2023 sheets place Procurement Management in the Administrative Division. And the 2015 text gave the ICT Unit one function and the Public Affairs Unit three, while each sheet now has four key result areas.

How the sheets are used: the QMS, the office plan, the OPCRF and the IPCRF

The memorandum names three uses.

The Quality Management System. DO 009, s. 2021 set up one Quality Management System for DepEd, “certifiable to ISO 9001 standards”, across the Central Office, regions, divisions and schools. It requires that “Each governance level shall document all office processes in accordance with their office functions” (Sec. IX.B, item 2). Each functional division of a regional office keeps its own operations manual and planning documents. The Regional Director approves and signs them and issues a memorandum that puts them into effect (Sec. IX.A). The sheets supply the “office functions” from which those processes are declared. The system’s manuals are in DepEd Memorandum No. 014, s. 2022, with an addendum of August 11, 2025 (DepEd Memorandum No. 068, s. 2025).

The office operational plan. A sheet lists everything an office may be asked to produce. The plan for a year takes from it “the priorities of the office for the current year”. A regional office’s work and financial plan and its annual targets therefore show part of the sheet, not all of it.

The OPCRF and the IPCRF. Under the Results-Based Performance Management System, a key result area “is the mandate or function of the office and/or individual employee”, and “The KRA is the reason why an office and/or job exist” (DepEd Order No. 2, s. 2015, par. 20). The head of office writes the Office Performance Commitment and Review Form, and each employee an Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form anchored on it (pars. 18 and 19). The order asks for three to five key result areas per office and three objectives for each (pars. 20 and 21). A sheet with seven or eight key result areas is longer than that.

Since March 27, 2024 the form names the sheets. The Interim Guidelines for the Office Performance Planning and Assessment for FY 2024 Onwards have each regional division take its key result areas from the “Compendium of Office Functions, version 3 (as issued through Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617)”, and give the Office of the Regional Director recalibrated key result areas of its own (Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2024-0586, Annex B, item 5). At least three objectives for each key result area are “highly recommended” (item 7).

DO 2, s. 2015 had an undersecretary rate the Regional Director and the Secretary approve the rating (Annex A). The 2024 guidelines set an interim matrix of who rates whom (Annex B, Table 9).

Ratee Rater Approving authority
Regional Director Undersecretary for Field Operations Chief of Staff
Assistant Regional Director Regional Director Undersecretary for Field Operations
Chief or head of a regional division Assistant Regional Director Regional Director
Head of a regional unit, listed as “Public Assistance Unit [sic]/Legal/ ICT Unit” Assistant Regional Director Regional Director
Schools Division Superintendent Assistant Regional Director Regional Director
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Schools Division Superintendent Assistant Regional Director

The sheets have a fourth use that the 2023 memorandum does not name. In hiring and promotion, two criteria give points for what an applicant did at work with a degree or a training: Application of Education and Application of Learning and Development. That intervention counts as relevant when it “can be used in the operations of the functional unit based on its office mandates in the official DepEd Office Functions or Office Orders for the creation of the functional unit” (DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Enclosure Nos. 3 to 5). An applicant for a regional or division position can read the sheet of the office to see what counts. OPCRF for DepEd School Heads in 2026: What Applies Now covers the school’s own form.

Is Version 3 still current?

As of November 13, 2026, DO 52, s. 2015 has not been amended for the regional offices, and Version 3 of May 5, 2023 is the latest release of the regional sheets by public memorandum. The twelve offices and their purposes stand. Parts of the sheets have been overtaken by later rules, and the map of regions has changed.

Date Change Effect on the regional sheets
August 26, 2022 and May 16, 2024 DepEd Memorandum No. 075, s. 2022 held in abeyance all division and regional validation “with the purpose of determining the SBM Level of Practice”. DO 007, s. 2024 then repealed DepEd Order No. 83, s. 2012, the source of the three levels The FTAD’s output “List of schools validated by the Regional Office for SBM level 3” and its indicator “Number of schools recognized as SBM Level 3” rest on the repealed order. The region now assesses the technical assistance its divisions give to schools
March 27, 2024 Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2024-0586, the interim guidelines on office performance planning and assessment The revised OPCRF takes each regional division’s key result areas from Version 3 and gives the Office of the Regional Director recalibrated ones. An interim matrix names who rates and who approves
June 11, 2024 RA 12000 established the Negros Island Region, composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor A seventeenth region. New offices “shall follow the approved organizational and staffing standards agreed upon by the DepEd and DBM” (DO 52, s. 2015, par. 11). DO 012, s. 2026 lists the region among the regional office codes (Annex F)
July 20, 2024 RA 12009, the New Government Procurement Act, repealed Republic Act No. 9184 (Sec. 115) The Administrative Division’s procurement objectives cite “R.A. 9184, its IRR” and indicators “Based on 2016 RIRR of RA 9184”. Regional procurement now follows the new Act and its rules
July 3, 2025 DO 021, s. 2025 placed DepEd lawyers in the regions and divisions under the functional supervision of the Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs The Legal Unit follows that office’s guidelines and seeks its clearance for certain legal opinions. The Regional Director’s authority over cases is unchanged
July 30, 2025 Executive Order No. 91 declared the Province of Sulu part of Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) DepEd Memorandum No. 053, s. 2026 of September 9, 2026 lists Sulu among Region IX’s divisions. The Daily Tribune reported on October 20, 2026 that the budget department had approved a Schools Division Office of Sulu with 84 non-teaching positions, with Region IX to oversee recruitment and appointments
August 28, 2025 DO 024, s. 2025 set the Expanded Career Progression system for teachers and school heads Reclassification papers pass through the Administrative Division to the Regional Director for approval (Enclosure No. 2, Secs. 52 to 55)
October 9, 2025 DO 033, s. 2025 amended DO 40, s. 2014 on converting schools into implementing units The Central Office identifies the schools; the regional Finance Division assists them
March 24, 2026 DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, on a safe and motivating learning environment Gives learner protection to several regional offices: a Learner Rights and Protection Section, the Legal Unit for cases involving personnel, the ESSD, the CLMD, the QAD for private schools’ anti-bullying policies, and the Finance Division (Sec. IX.B). The 2023 sheets list child protection under the ESSD only
March 25, 2026 DO 007, s. 2026, the Media Management Guidelines The Regional Director is the region’s official spokesperson and may designate an information officer in writing
May 6, 2026 DO 012, s. 2026 set the rules for government recognition of private senior high schools The QAD validates within 10 working days and recommends; the Regional Director decides

A pending bill would change more. House Bill No. 9358, which the House of Representatives passed on third reading on June 3, 2026, would amend RA 9155; the Philippine News Agency reported that it “empowers DepEd regional offices to better contextualize national policies according to local needs” and would allow more division offices and school districts (Philippine News Agency, June 4, 2026). Until a law amends it, Section 7(B) of RA 9155 states the Regional Director’s powers.

What this means for school heads

Almost nothing goes from a school straight to the region. The orders route a school’s requests through the Schools Division Office, which evaluates and endorses them. The last three rows of the table are the exceptions: the rule names the Regional Office as a place to file.

What the school sends Through whom Who acts at the region
A request to establish a school, separate an annex, merge or integrate The superintendent, through the division’s Planning and Research Section and its review committee (DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI.C) The Regional Inspectorate Team validates; the Regional Director approves
An application for reclassification under the Expanded Career Progression system The division office, where the superintendent recommends (DO 024, s. 2025, Enclosure No. 2, Sec. 50) The Administrative Division reviews; the Regional Director approves
A research proposal for funding The Schools Division Research Committee, which approves and endorses it (DO 16, s. 2017, Sec. V.A) The Regional Research Committee confirms it
School data in the Learner Information System and the Enhanced Basic Education Information System The division’s Planning and Research Section The PPRD monitors the updating of regional data
A complaint against a teacher Filed with the Regional Director (DO 49, s. 2006, Sec. 6). A school head who receives a child protection complaint forwards it to the disciplining authority within 48 hours (DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, Sec. 16(A)) The Legal Unit evaluates; the Regional Director decides
School records for CAV The school verifies and seals the records; the applicant files at the region (DO 48, s. 2017, Sec. V) The Records Section of the Administrative Division issues the CAV
A request to correct an entry in a school record For an enrolled learner, the school corrects it through the Learner Reference Number. For a graduate, the school head’s certification or endorsement goes with the request: to the division’s Legal Unit for a typographical error, to the region for a major correction The Legal Unit drafts the resolution or order; the Regional Director signs it

Know what the region decides about your school, and what it does not.

  • It approves the establishment of the school and the separation of an annex into a school of its own, subject to the Secretary’s confirmation.
  • It decides administrative cases against the school’s teachers and against the school head. The school head does not decide a charge or order a preventive suspension, as the guide to disciplining authority explains.
  • It approves the reclassification papers of the school’s teachers.
  • It sets regional policy and standards, and issues the regional orders and memoranda that carry them to schools, within national policy.
  • It does not appoint the school’s teachers or its head, release the school’s MOOE, or supervise the school’s daily operations. Those belong to the superintendent and the division (RA 9155, Sec. 7(C); DO 008, s. 2019, Sec. V.A).

Four habits follow.

  1. Address the right office. The orders above require the division’s evaluation or endorsement first, so a request sent straight to the region skips a required step. Ask the division which of its sections will endorse it: for most matters, a section of the SGOD.
  2. Prepare for validation, not only for submission. For a new school, the regional team reviews the supporting documents again and may inspect the site and interview local stakeholders (DO 40, s. 2014, Part VI.C, item 8). Keep the enrollment figures, site documents and inventories that support the request in one file, with the date each was certified.
  3. Read regional memoranda as adaptations of national orders. When a regional memorandum and a DepEd Order differ, raise it with the division in writing. The Regional Director’s authority is “Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards”.
  4. Keep a record of what was endorsed and when. Note the date the division endorsed a request, the regional office that received it, and any tracking number. Each regional sheet lists an operational document tracking system among its outputs.

These duties fall under the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads: Domain 1, Leading Strategically, for policy implementation and review; Domain 2, Managing School Operations and Resources, for records management and the management of staff; and Domain 5, Building Connections, for the management of diverse relationships. DepEd Revised SBM: DO 007, s. 2024 and the Self-Assessment covers the technical assistance a school can ask of its division.

Frequently asked questions

What are the divisions of a DepEd Regional Office?

Eight: the Curriculum and Learning Management Division, the Education Support Services Division, the Field Technical Assistance Division, the Quality Assurance Division, the Policy, Planning and Research Division, the Human Resource Development Division, the Administrative Division and the Finance Division. With the Office of the Regional Director and its Legal, ICT and Public Affairs units, they make twelve offices (DO 52, s. 2015, Enclosure No. 2).

What is the difference between a DepEd Regional Office and a Schools Division Office?

The region sets regional policy, plans and standards, approves the establishment of schools, and disciplines teachers. The division appoints teachers and school heads and supervises the operations of schools (RA 9155, Sec. 7(B) and (C); DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 4.3). In the sheets, the region’s outcomes are stated for divisions and the division’s for schools.

Who approves a private school’s permit to operate?

The Regional Director. The Quality Assurance Division validates the school’s compliance and recommends, and “The permit to open and operate schools” at the elementary and secondary levels “shall be granted by the regional Director concerned” (DO 88, s. 2010, Sec. 30.4). The school may appeal a sanction imposed by a Regional Director to the Secretary within 15 days (Sec. 189, as amended by DO 041, s. 2022).

Does the Regional Office hire teachers?

No. The Schools Division Superintendent appoints all employees of the division, teaching and non-teaching, including school heads and except the assistant superintendent (RA 9155, Sec. 7(C)(3); DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 4.3). The Regional Director appoints regional office employees and approves reclassification papers for teaching positions (DO 1, s. 2003, Sec. 3.3; DO 024, s. 2025, Enclosure No. 2, Sec. 55).

Is the Office Functions, Version 3 a DepEd Order?

No. It was released by a memorandum of the Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development on May 5, 2023 (Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617), as part of the Quality Management System’s operations manual and as a guide for office plans and performance commitments. The offices themselves come from DO 52, s. 2015, and the powers exercised through them come from RA 9155 and its implementing rules.

Sources

Laws and executive issuances

DepEd issuances on structure and office functions

  • DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003, Promulgating the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9155 (January 6, 2003), Rules III to V.
  • DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015, New Organizational Structures of the Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices of the Department of Education (October 30, 2015), pars. 4, 7, 10 and 15 and Enclosure Nos. 1 to 4.
  • Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617, DepEd RO & SDO Office Functions Version 3 (May 5, 2023), with the twelve Regional Office sheets and the three Schools Division Office sheets.
  • DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2024, Revised Designation of Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries to the Strands and Functional Areas of Responsibilities (October 18, 2024).
  • DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2022, Adoption of the Basic Education Development Plan 2030 (May 30, 2022).
  • DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026 (2nd Edition), Regional Office external and internal services and Schools Division Office external services.

DepEd issuances on quality management and performance

  • DepEd Order No. 2, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Establishment and Implementation of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) in the Department of Education (February 6, 2015), pars. 18 to 21 and Annex A.
  • Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2024-0586, Interim Guidelines for the Office Performance Planning and Assessment for FY 2024 Onwards (March 27, 2024), Annex B, items 5 and 7 and Table 9; posted by DepEd Region VIII under Regional Memorandum No. 391, s. 2024.
  • DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2021, Institutionalization of a Quality Management System in the Department of Education (February 24, 2021), Secs. VIII and IX.
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 014, s. 2022, The DepEd Quality Management System Manual and Procedures and Work Instructions Manual (March 15, 2022), and its addendum, DepEd Memorandum No. 068, s. 2025 (August 11, 2025).
  • DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2022, Adoption of the Basic Education Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (June 2022), Sec. VIII.
  • DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment in the Department of Education (March 22, 2023), Enclosure Nos. 3 to 5.

DepEd issuances on what the region handles

  • DepEd Order No. 49, s. 2006, Revised Rules of Procedure of the Department of Education in Administrative Cases (December 12, 2006), Secs. 1, 6, 21, 41, 42, 45 and 51.
  • DepEd Order No. 88, s. 2010, 2010 Revised Manual of Regulations for Private Schools in Basic Education (June 24, 2010), Secs. 30, 32, 34, 43, 149, 150, 181 and 189, as amended by DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2011 (February 4, 2011), DepEd Order No. 041, s. 2022 (September 19, 2022) and DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2023 (October 10, 2023).
  • DepEd Order No. 29, s. 2011, Revised Guidelines on the Naming and Renaming of Schools (March 24, 2011).
  • DepEd Order No. 83, s. 2012, Implementing Guidelines on the Revised School-Based Management (SBM) Framework, Assessment Process and Tool (APAT) (November 29, 2012), repealed by DO 007, s. 2024.
  • DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, DepEd Child Protection Policy (May 14, 2012), Sec. 16(A).
  • DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2014, Establishment, Merging, Conversion, and Naming/Renaming of Public Schools, and Separation of Public School Annexes in Basic Education (August 26, 2014), Part VI, as amended by DepEd Order No. 033, s. 2025 (October 9, 2025).
  • DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2017, Research Management Guidelines (March 20, 2017), Secs. V.A and V.C.
  • DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2017, Policy and Procedural Guidelines on the Certification, Authentication, and Verification of Basic Education School Records (August 25, 2017), Sec. V.
  • DepEd Order No. 008, s. 2019, Revised Implementing Guidelines on the Direct Release, Use, Monitoring and Reporting of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses Allocation of Schools, Including Other Funds Managed by Schools (May 2, 2019), Secs. V.A and VI.
  • DepEd Order No. 011, s. 2019, Implementation of the NEAP Transformation (May 30, 2019).
  • DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2020, Guidelines for NEAP Recognition of Professional Development Programs and Courses for Teachers and School Leaders (January 23, 2020).
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 057, s. 2021, Moratorium on the Request for School Redistricting and Schools Division Reclassification (August 18, 2021), par. 3.
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 075, s. 2022, Moratorium on the Conduct of Division and Regional School-Based Management Validation Activities (August 26, 2022).
  • DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024, Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the Revised School-Based Management (SBM) System (May 16, 2024), Secs. F and H.
  • DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2025, Functional Supervision of the Office of the Undersecretary of Legal and Legislative Affairs (OULLA) over Lawyers of the Department of Education Stationed at Regional and Division Offices (July 3, 2025).
  • DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads in the Department of Education (August 28, 2025), Enclosure No. 2, Secs. 50 to 55, and Enclosure No. 3, Secs. 49 to 54.
  • DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (March 24, 2026), Sec. IX.B.
  • DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2026, Media Management Guidelines (March 25, 2026), Sec. V.A.
  • DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2026, Government Recognition of Private Basic Education Institutions Offering the Senior High School (SHS) Program (May 6, 2026), Parts VII and X and Annex F.
  • DepEd Memorandum No. 053, s. 2026, Administration of the Regular Philippine Educational Placement Test (September 9, 2026), test allocation by region.

News reports

DepEd office functions series

This guide explains DepEd rules for study and professional awareness. It is not legal advice; for a specific case, consult a lawyer or your Schools Division Office’s legal unit.

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: Republic Act No. 9155; DepEd Orders No. 1, s. 2003, No. 49, s. 2006, No. 88, s. 2010, No. 40, s. 2014, No. 2 and No. 52, s. 2015, No. 009, s. 2021, No. 029, s. 2022, No. 007, s. 2024, No. 021 and No. 024, s. 2025, and No. 006, No. 007 and No. 012, s. 2026; Memorandum DM-HROD-2023-0617 and the Office Functions, Version 3; Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2024-0586; the DepEd Citizen’s Charter 2026 (2nd Edition). NASH Reviewer is not affiliated with DepEd.