Nicolas Tongol Capulong PhD, CESO III or “RD Nick” as he is fondly called, is an exemplar of a noble teacher whose love for great education has consistently evolved and escalated through the years. His perseverance, steadfastness and strong sense of public service was marked in the solid course of his career. He rose from the ranks from when he was a Public Secondary School Teacher I from 1986, an Education Program Supervisor from 1997, an Asst. Schools Division Superintendent from 2007, a Schools Division Superintendent from 2015, an Asst Regional Director from 2018 and a Regional Director since 2020.

His incredible foresight and keen assessment of the DepEd programs and projects made him an astounding source of relevant insights on vast areas of knowledge such as Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership, Quality Management System, Alternative Learning System, Human Resource and Organization Development, Research Management and many more, wherein he underwent different trainings and conferences, here and abroad.

His strong advocacy for organizational leadership and systematic management of work operations, coupled with his great desire to deliver the best services to his clientele, has made him the first ever Regional Director of an ISO Region, then DepEd Region 3, in 2016.

Currently, he leads DepEd MIMAROPA Region as its Director IV. Through his wisdom, guidance and motivation, this Region achieved its ISO 9001:2015 Certificate last March 6, 2024, and also, completed its Maturity Level II in the four (4) HR systems of the CSC PRIME-HRM last January 17, 2024. DepEd MIMAROPA is now working on its CSC PRIME-HRM Maturity Level III.

He is also the champion of building GREAT Schools and providing RELEVANT Education as manifested in the framework that he has developed for MIMAROPA, which until now is the guiding context of all initiatives being implemented in the Region. As well, his guiding principle of “Leading and Serving with Passion and Compassion” continuously upholds DepEd MIMAROPA’s commitment to deliver quality education.

A native of Sapang Bato, a true blue Angeleño and a devoted music teacher, RD Nick enjoys playing the electric organ and piano in his spare time, or during his devoted service to church activities.