The Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC) Principal Members and Alternates (from left to right): DAP SVP for Services Bernardo Dizon, Office of the President-Internal Audit Office Deputy Executive Secretary Alberto Bernardo, DBM Acting Secretary Wendel Avisado, DTI Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, DBM Assistant Secretaries Clarito Alejandro Magsino and Myrna Chua are shown during the seventh GQMC Recognition Ceremony last October 24 at the PICC in Pasay City. (Photo by Ped Garcia)

The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Productivity and Development Center (PDC), in collaboration with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), organized the seventh Government Quality Management Committee (GQMC) Recognition Ceremony and Public Sector Quality and Productivity Improvement Forum last October 24 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Award recipients    include 130 government organizations which have successfully obtained original or initial ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) for the period September 22, 2018 to August 31, 2019.

The awardees are 37 departments and attached agencies, 15 government-owned and controlled corporations, 23 local water districts, 36 state universities and colleges, two constitutional offices, nine other executive offices, and eight local government units.

DAP Senior Vice President Bernardo Dizon, in his opening remarks, stressed the increasing collective dedication of various organizations to quality service, from 61 awardees in 2018 to 130 this year. “All these awardees have demonstrated commitment to improving quality and productivity by implementing reforms to enhance their daily operations and setting standards for their timelines, quantity, and quality of their processes,” he said.

Dizon also highlighted the event’s theme “QMS Level-Up! Gearing for Future-Ready Public Service” which envisions taking public service to a higher level through digital learning opportunities.

Meanwhile, DBM Acting Secretary and GQMC Chairperson Wendel Avisado, who served as the keynote speaker, challenged various agencies to level up their QMS and gear for Industry 5.0 which is future-ready public service. He underscored that the GQMC will also focus on the cooperation between man and machine, where humans will collaborate with robots but men will  upskill their capacities in the customization and personalization for customers.

He further shared that as of August 31, 2019, there are some 390 ISO 9001-Certified public sector entities.  He likewise encouraged the various public sector organizations to keep moving towards excellence. “May you continue to improve and provide quality service that our fellowmen deserve,” he added.

Coinciding with the said event is the forum on Public Sector Quality and Productivity Improvement that featured selected agencies’ quality and productivity improvement initiatives such as emerging technologies, standards, and approaches that can be integrated and used as tools for the improvement of the established/sustained QMS of public sector organizations.

The speakers during the first segment of the forum, titled “Future-ready QMS through Management System Standards Integration and Improvement,” were Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Philippine Guarantee Corporation President Alberto Pascual, and Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) Officer-in-Charge Neil Catajay.

Moreover, the second segment on Future-ready QMS through Emerging Technologies and Citizen-Centered Improvements were presented by DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, Cauayan City, Isabela Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy, and DAP Vice President Arnel Abanto.

The Government Quality Management Program aims to enhance citizen satisfaction and public sector productivity through government-wide quality improvement. It envisions taking a great leap in its priorities by leveling up its quality improvement initiatives and focusing on enhancing citizen satisfaction by 2022. Further, it builds capacities in fostering quality across public sector organizations. – Jeannalla Burns