Pres. Arroyo awards DOST reg'l offices

CEBU, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has given a certificate of recognition to the Department of Science and Technology-7 together with other 40 national and local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, and government financial institutions at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañang Palace last December 10, 2009.

Among those recognized were DOST regional offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, Reg. 1 (Ilocandia), Reg. 2 (Cagayan Valley), 4-A (Mimaropa or Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), 6 (Western Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 9 (Western Mindanao), 10 (Northern Mindanao),11 (Southern Mindanao), and 12 (Central Mindanao), among others.

The award, according to Arroyo, is in recognition of these government agencies and private firms for obtaining ISO 9001 Quality Management System Certification.

ISO 9001 is a set of international standards for management and verification of good quality management practices.

The International Organization for Standardization, but widely known as ISO, certifies that businesses, government organizations, and social entities meet certain common standards.

Arroyo believes that the awardees have fully developed certain formal processes for their accurate management quality control.

She said that other factors that were considered were monitoring process, maintaining complete and accurate records, checking for defective output, taking action to correct defects, and continual internal reviews for effectiveness.

Present during the awarding ceremonies were Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, and Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro. – Marjun A. Baguio/UC intern/MEEV (FREEMAN NEWS)