As of July 2026, Aizel is a Government Fellow at the UNU-EGOV.
Aizel M. Padilla is a Local Government Operations Officer V at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region VI, Philippines. She serves as Section Chief for the Excellence in Local Governance Upheld (ELGU) Outcome Area, leading programs that strengthen local governance performance, business friendliness and competitiveness, and institutional excellence across local governments in Western Visayas.
Her work centres on advancing reforms in Ease of Doing Business (EODB), local economic development, and digital governance through technical assistance, performance assessments, policy support, and institutional strengthening for local governments. She has designed and facilitated executive learning programs for local government officials and has led or supported various regional governance initiatives.
Aizel collaborates with national government agencies, local governments, universities, and development partners in advancing governance and capacity development initiatives. Her work emphasizes multi-stakeholder collaboration in the design and implementation of regional programs. She also serves as the Assistant Facility Head of the Linkage and Institutional Partnership Facility of the Local Governance Regional Resource Center (LGRRC) of DILG Region VI. Through the Western Visayas Local Governance Resource Consortium, the LGRRC VI promotes collaboration among government agencies, universities, and other partner institutions to foster knowledge exchange, research, and capacity development.
Her professional interests include digital governance, digital transformation, and smart cities. Her master's thesis, "Are Citizens «Smart» Ready for Smart City? The Case of Iloilo City, Philippines", examined citizens' readiness to participate in smart city initiatives and was presented at the 2022 Korean Public Administration (KAPA) International Summer Conference during the Co-Colloquium Session, Citizen Participation and Digital Capacity.
Aizel holds a Master of e-Government and Public Management from Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, as a recipient of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Scholarship Program. She also holds a Master of Management (Business Management) and a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of the Philippines Visayas. She is a licensed Environmental Planner in the Philippines.