The Development Academy of the Philippines, through its Productivity and Development Center, recently conducted a management briefing for the 12 agencies that shall receive technical assistance in establishing the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System in their respective offices as beneficiaries of the Government Quality Management Program.
The DAP, as the advocacy and capability-building arm of the Government Quality Management Committee, informed the 12 agencies the program and its objectives, the project’s components and requirements, and what the agencies need to do to comply with expectations as a program beneficiary. The agencies will receive technical assistance from the DAP at no cost to them as GQMP funds will be used to assist the agencies in developing a quality management system (QMS) certifiable to ISO 9001 standards covering the agency’s management, support and operational processes, including pilot regional and satellite offices, as may be relevant. The technical assistance includes the conduct of training courses, workshops, guidance sessions, and assessments.
The 12 agencies, which were selected by a technical working group composed of the Department of Budget and Management, the Civil Service Commission, and the DAP, are the Department of Transportation, Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, Bureau of Plant Industry, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, National Telecommunications Commission, Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, Foreign Service Institute, Philippine Racing Commission, Central Board of Assessment Appeals, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Mariano Marcos University, and Nueva Vizcaya State University.
The 12 agencies are expected to complete the project by December 2019 and be certified to ISO 9001:2015 QMS standards in December 2019 after completion of the project.
The briefing, which also aimed to secure the commitment of the beneficiary agencies, was attended by DAP Senior Vice President Magdalena Mendoza, DBM Director Clotilde Lacsamana-Drapete, CSC Director Maria Luisa Salonga-Agamata, Productivity and Development Center Vice President Arnel Abanto and GQMP Office Program Manager Racquel Barbecho of the DAP, and representatives of the 12 beneficiary agencies.
Ms. Mendoza, in her welcome remarks, said that establishing a QMS in the agencies concerned may contribute to one of the three pillars mentioned in Ambisyon 2040 – Malasakit, Pagbabago, and Pag-unlad – as ensuring seamless delivery of public services and reducing the cost of poor quality will provide essence to malasakit and pagbabago.
Abanto, meanwhile, stressed the importance of the GQMP, which was established through Executive Order No. 605, as it promotes improvement in public sector performance by ensuring consistent delivery of government services through the establishment of QMS, which, he said, is supposed to increase an organization’s awareness of its duties and commitment to fulfill the needs and exceed the expectations of its citizens.
Ms. Drapete, in her closing remarks, expressed the hope that the beneficiary agencies will be recognized with their ISO 9001 certification by the end of 2019, urging the 12 agencies to consider that QMS is not just compliance with the performance-based bonus but is also a tool to better respond to the needs, requirements and expectations of the citizens.
To date, the GQMP has provided technical assistance to some 28 beneficiary agencies in the development of their ISO 9001:2015 QMS. As such, the GQMP continually aims to promote government-wide adoption and institutionalization of ISO 9001 QMS to contribute to improving the delivery of public services.