A total of 86 newly-hired and regular, technical and administrative staff members participated in the recently conducted Awareness Webinar for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS), virtually held on January 12 and 13, 2021 via Google Meet.
As part of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST-PCAARRD) capability building activities under its Continual Improvement Program (CIP), the webinar aimed to:
1. Provide basic understanding of the requirement of ISO 9001:2015 Standards;
2. Encourage compliance to PCAARRD Quality Management System; and
3. Introduce participants to the PCAARRD ISO Online (PISO) Information System available in the PCAARRD Intranet.
The webinar was conducted in two batches with Mr. Leandro Lorenzo G. Bautista, PCAARRD’s Consultant on ISO matters as the Resource Person on the ISO 9001:2015 Standards. Ms. Azel Glory C. Banganan of the Policy Coordination and Monitoring Division (PCMD) walked the participants through the PISO Information System.
During the opening of the webinar, Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, PCAARRD’s Deputy Executive Director for Administrative Resources Management and Support Services (ARMSS) welcomed the participants and provided a background on the Council’s ISO journey, which started with separate ISO 9001:2000 certifications for the then Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) in 2004 and 2009, respectively. When the two Councils were merged in 2011 into PCAARRD, it successfully passed the ISO 9001:2008 Certification in 2013 and the ISO 9001:2015 in 2018.
Dr. Carlos further emphasized that the awareness webinar is an initiative to make PCAARRD staff appreciate the purpose of having a quality management system and how each, as an integral part of the system, can contribute to ensure that PCAARRD maintains its culture of excellence.
In her closing statement, Dr. Edna A. Anit, Director of the Crops Research Division (CRD) and Assistant Quality Management Representative reminded the participants to not take ISO merely for compliance but as an opportunity for improvement.
In general, the activity was rated Outstanding based on the conducted customer satisfaction feedback (CSF). Most of the participants expressed their gratitude and commented that the activity increased their knowledge and appreciation of what ISO is all about.