THE Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) maintains its ISO 9001:2015 certification.
This development came following the recommendation by the SOCOTEC Certification International, formerly AJA Registrars, after successfully passing its first surveillance audit.
SOCOTEC Certification International has been providing management systems assessment and accredited ISO certification services to organizations around the world since 1995, which continued to coordinate with its clients to develop their businesses.
The surveillance audit was recently conducted to assess the continuous fulfilment of the Councilās certified Quality Management System (QMS) to the ISO requirements from its original ISO certification in November 2018 to recertification audit in August this year.
In reference to its QMS processes and documented information, members of the audit employed interviews and gathering of documented pieces of evidence.
From the selected audit areas, no non-conformity was raised by the external auditors thereby maintaining DOST-PCAARRDās certification with the following scope of registration:
āPublic administration with scope of formulating policies, plans, projects, and strategies for science and technology (S&T) development in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) sectors; Programming and allocation for government and external funds generated for research and development (R&D) efforts in the AANR sectors; Monitoring R&D projects; and Generating external funds for its R&D Activities.ā
The audit was participated by the DOST-PCAARRD directorate and staff headed by its acting Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora.
The audit team, composed of Eugene Herradura, Czharina Buaquna, and Allan Carandang, observed the improvement in system compared with that of the last audit.
During the closing meeting, Ebora expressed his appreciation to the audit team members for guiding the Council in its QMS implementation.
He likewise mentioned his appreciation to the auditors for handling the surveillance audit āquite light,ā describing the activity as āless tenseā which provided a good atmosphere among the staff.
Ebora also commended the DOST-PCAARRD staff for working efficiently as evidenced by the result of the surveillance audit.
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a QMS.
Organizations use this standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development were already ISO 9001:2000 certified prior to the implementation of the Rationalization Plan in 2011, where the two Councils merged as DOST-PCAARRD today.
The Council launched its ISO 9001:2008 QMS certification in February 18, 2013 and was officially registered on September 27, 2013. This was after passing Stages 1 and 2 of its certification audit.
DOST-PCAARRD maintained its certification and successfully transitioned to ISO 9001:2015 on Nov. 14, 2018.
Being an ISO 9001:2015-certified agency for its quality management system, PCAARRD is committed to achieving a sustained dynamic leadership in science and technology (S&T) innovation in the AANR sector by providing a strategic leadership in promoting S&T as a platform for AANR products innovation and environment resiliency. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
