DAR Regional Office 5 passes 2nd ISO surveillance audit

LEGAZPI CITY—The quality management system of the Department of Agrarian Reform's (DAR) Regional Office 5 has remained compliant with ISO 9001:2015 standards and has retained its certification.

This result was confirmed during the second surveillance audit conducted by World Quality Assurance (WQA), an international ISO 9001 certifying body, yesterday, March 17. WQA Philippines Inc. representatives Kristine Villaruel and Nellie Ang See conducted the remote audit. 

"We are pleased that the agency's services have been acknowledged as conforming to world-class standards once again," Regional Director Rodrigo Realubit said.

Realubit thanked the agency's officials and employees for their willingness to help achieve this goal.

"This recognition reflects their commitment and hard work, and it motivates us to continue providing efficient and high-quality service to our clients, farmers, and other stakeholders," he said.

A surveillance audit conducted by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a periodic examination of the agency's quality management system by a certifying authority. An ISO surveillance audit's objective is to guarantee that an organization continues to comply with ISO standards.

In its audit report, WQA concluded that the agency's "quality policy is binding and adopted." This quality policy is appropriate and establishes a framework for the achievement of the expected quality objectives. It binds all personnel to the continual development of the quality system.

Moreover, the report notes that process workflows and interactions have been specified and effectively regulated, and are checked regularly; and that the organization practices risk-based thinking.

In terms of customer satisfaction, WQA observed that the DAR regional office analyzes and assesses customer requirements, maintains established and effective procedures for the handling of information and actions, and responds to customer feedback.

The WQA conferred the agency with the ISO 9001:2015 Certification on September 8, 2020.