The Office of the Vice President (OVP) passed its second and final Surveillance Audit to maintain its 2022 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification 9001:2015 for the OVP’s Quality Management System (OVP-QMS), it reported on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Headed by Vice President Sara Duterte, the OVP said that passing its 2nd Surveillance Audit with zero non-conformities showed that it is “committed to the observance and compliance of its processes with the ISO standards.”
External auditors from TÜV Rheinland headed by Rhene Rose Zara, and members Minda Fe Villapando and Rafael Magsino, gave the passing score to the OVP, certifying that OVP-QMS maintained its certificate through its “commitment to the organization’s continual improvement.”
Duterte was represented by Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio and Director for Administrative and Financial Services Office and OVP Quality Management Representative Rosalynne Sanchez.
The third-party audit is part of the ISO Certification Process to determine the quality and effectivity of the organization’s QMS, as well as evaluate its processes and identify areas for improvements in accordance with the International Standard requirements.
The OVP’s ISO certification was first awarded in 2017 during the time of former vice president Leni Robredo, who stepped down from power in June 2022.
The recertification to ISO 9001:2015 was given on Dec. 27, 2020 and the first surveillance audit was conducted on Nov. 19, 2021, while the second and final surveillance audit was conducted last Dec. 7.
The OVP said the ISO certification is “consistent” with Executive Order No. 605 series 2007, which seeks to institutionalize quality management systems in government by directing all departments and agencies of the Executive branch, including all government-owned and/or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) “to adopt the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems as part of the implementation of a government-wide quality management program.”
“The OVP developed a Quality Management System (QMS) certifiable to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 towards its goal of continuously enhancing its management systems and support processes to ensure efficient delivery of quality services,” it said in a statement.