On 9 October 1986, then Minister of the Budget Alberto G. Romulo signed OBM Office Order No. 160-86 creating what was to be the Department of Budget and Management Regional Office IV to cater to the regionalized agencies namely, DECS, DOH and SUCs including the local government units (LGUs) within the six (6) mainland and five (5) island provinces in the Southern Tagalog region.
Region IV was temporarily housed at the 3/F, Bureau of Agricultural Extension Building, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, which was shared with the Procurement Service (PS).
Director Reynaldo Abella, with Assistant Director Leonardo Axalan and twenty-three (23) employees from the Central Office, were among the original staff complement of Region IV. Director Abella including 19 others transferred from the Management Office; Director Axalan came from the National Accounting Office, while the others were from the Training and Information Staff, Procurement Service, Budget Technical Service, and the Financial and Administrative Services. Five (5) more personnel were hired to complement the staffing requirements of the Regional Office.
Originally, the functional set-up of Region IV was by geographical coverage, each division handling all the regionalized agencies and LGUs within the province assigned to it, at the same time, act as the lead coordinator for a specific agency. The lead division would be responsible for the consolidation of reports especially during budget preparation.
Director Agripino G. Galvez, formerly of COA and DILG, succeeded Director Abella who was appointed as DA Assistant Secretary on 8 August 1988. Director Galvez opted to operate from a geographical to a sectoral set-up for consistency with the set-up in other Regional Offices. At this time, RO IV transferred to Ben-Lor Building, 1184 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, which became RO IV’s home for 10 years.
When Asst. Director Axalan retired on 13 February 1991, Arturo A. Sayao, a division chief from the Budget Operations Bureau was appointed as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) - Asst. Director. He was promoted to full-fledged Asst. Director on 3 January 1992 and was designated as the OIC of the Region from 24 June 1992 to 15 February 1993 when Director Galvez retired on 23 June 1992. The same functional set-up was implemented during the term of OIC-Director Sayao. During his tenure, the Asst. Director came from the ranks of Region IV - Julian Ll. Pacificador, Jr., one of the RO’s pioneers.
OIC-Asst. Director Pacificador held the post from 16 February 1993 until his promotion to full-fledged Asst. Director on 15 February 1996. He was designated as OIC-Director from 16 February to 31 May 1993 when OIC-Director Sayao retired on 15 February 1993.
On 1 June 1993, Director Remedios C. Marquez of DBM CAR assumed the position of Regional Director of Region IV and held the post until her retirement on 8 November 1994. Director Sebastian R. Teves of DBM CAR replaced Director Marquez effective 9 November 1994 and stayed with RO IV until 22 March 1998 to run for public office.
When Asst. Director Pacificador was designated as OIC-Director of CAR on 7 February 1997, Asst. Director Jovito Vernon Valente of the Central Office took over the post vacated by him. It was on the same month that Region IV transferred to Manila at the 2/F PLJ Building, 755 Gen. Solano Street, San Miguel, Manila, just across the main compound of DBM Central Office.
On 28 March 1998, Director Julieta C. Dela Torre took over the reins of the RO IV. The same sectoral set-up was still adopted even though the delegated functions of the Regional Offices were expanded to include the regionalized agencies of DPWH, TESDA, CHED, and the local water districts. When Asst. Director Valente transferred back to the Central Office to head the Administrative Services, Renato M. De Vera, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Secretary during the term of Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, was appointed Assistant Director on 1 April 2000.
In compliance with Executive Order No. 103 dated 17 May 2002, transferring Aurora Province to Region III and dividing Region IV into Region IV-A (CALABARZON) and IV-B (MIMAROPA), Secretary Emilia T. Boncodin issued Office Order No. 2002-337 dated 12 September 2002 to implement the changes in coverage and jurisdiction. A few days after the retirement of Director Dela Torre on April 13, 2003, Office Order No. 2003-149 dated 21 April 2003 implemented the separation and Secretary Boncodin appointed Director Julian Ll. Pacificador, Jr. to RO IV-A. Director Pacificador assumed the position on 1 May 2003 until his retirement on 12 October 2016.
When Asst. Director de Vera was designated as OIC-Director of RO IV-B on 27 July 2009, Chief Budget and Management Specialist (CBMS) Ruby P. Muro was appointed as OIC-Director III of RO IV-A on 24 July 2012. She was promoted to Acting Director III on 13 July 2013. Upon the retirement of Director Pacificador, Assistant Director Ruby P. Muro was appointed as OIC-Director IV on 13 October 2016 while CBMS Nympha R. Manalastas took over her post as OIC-Director III pursuant to Office Order No. 630, s. 2016.
Due to the reassignment of Regional Directors per Department Order No. 3 and Office Order No. 151, both s. 2018, Director Muro was designated as the OIC-Director IV of NCR while Director Ruby R. Esteban was appointed as the Regional Director of RO IV-A effective 1 April 2018. In the meantime, OIC-Director III Manalastas was designated as the OIC-Director IV on 1 April 2018 until Director Esteban assumed the position on 13 August 2018. CBMS Manalastas was promoted as full-fledged Director III on 25 March 2019.
Upon the retirement of Director Esteban on 4 January 2021, Director III Manalastas was appointed as OIC-Director IV while Chief Administrative Officer Maria Rowena P. Gonzales was designated on a concurrent capacity as OIC-Director III per Office Order No. 468, s. 2020 until the designation of Mr. Leoncio A. Arellano as OIC- Chief Administrative Officer on 18 July, 2022.
On 5 July, 2021, DBM Region IV-A transferred to its new office at the 2nd Floor, Arcache Building, General Solano Street corner Nepomuceno Street, San Miguel, Manila.
Last 3 March, 2022, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed the appointment of OIC- Director IV Manalastas as the Regional Director of DBM RO IV-A.
This year, DBM Region IV-A will be celebrating its 36th year of providing efficient and effective service not only to its clientele agencies but to the public as well. The Directors, together with the 25 employees of this Region will continue to emulate the mission of DBM as they commit to adhere to a culture of competence, integrity and client-responsiveness and to take pride in the organization as a community of professionals dedicated to the service of the country and people.
