BuCor cites improvement to keep `ISO certification

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has cited big improvement to keep its International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification which Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said is a "proactive step" in ensuring excellent standards in the country's correctional facilities.

The ISO certification stands for credibility and trust, and it is a validation that the organization adheres to global standards of quality assurance. BuCor first received its ISO certification in 2018, BuCor said.

In 2023, third-party auditors, led by Joffre Velasco of TUV-SUD PSB Philippines, Inc., conducted rigorous audit on the bureau and recommended the Certificate Maintenance, it said.

It noted that the third-party auditors assessed and evaluated three critical facilities: the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on Dec. 1, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro from Dec. 4 to 5, and New Bilibid Prison from Dec. 6 to 7.

Included in the assessment were BuCor’s top management, records management, financial oversight, and legal services in order to determine its ability and effectiveness to meet its objectives in order to maintain its ISO certification, it said.

BuCor said that the third-party auditors presented their findings with eight Minor Non-Conformities and four opportunities for improvement with a total of 12 findings which Catapang lauded as a "big improvement" compared to the 29 findings last year.

The Percentage Improvement Calculation are as follows: Major Non-Conformities (NC): Improvement rate: 100 percent Minor Non-Conformities (Minor NC): Improvement rate: 60 percent Opportunity for Improvement (OFI): Improvement rate: 50 percent Total Improvement Percentage (weighted average): 59 percent.

The findings this year fueled the BuCor’s management to perform better next year, Catapang said. "We will strive for excellence and improve where it is needed to make the BuCor relevant, sustainable and respected," he assured.