ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Region 9 has successfully transitioned its Quality Management System (QMS) from being certified in ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015 after undergoing a rigorous transition process in its goal to satisfy customer expectations and for continual improvement.

“DOLE 9 is gratified with this achievement. This means we are moving steadily towards our goal of ensuring service excellence to the public. These standards will provide guidance and tools for us in ensuring that the frontline services we provide consistently meet our clients’ requirements and that quality is consistently improved,” Regional Director Ofelia B. Domingo said.

Certification International Philippines, Incorporated (CIPI), who audited DOLE 9, certified that the agency operates a management system that has been assessed as conforming to ISO 9001:2015 for the following scope of activities: Provision of employment facilitation and manpower development; employment relations, standards employment and protection services; employment enhancement, empowerment and welfare services and institutional support. The certification runs from May 31, 2018 and is valid until 04 May 2020.

The confirmation was based on the results of the first surveillance with transition audit of DOLE 9’s QMS on April 23-24, 2017.

The CIPI Auditors said that the audit reported the strengths of the QMS and its activities that have been initiated by the Regional Office and its five (5) Field Offices to meet quality objectives and ensure external and internal customer satisfaction. They also encouraged DOLE 9 to consider the opportunities for continual improvement since appropriate actions on these would escalate the effectiveness of the QMS.

Director Domingo extended her appreciation to the agency’s officials and staff who worked consistently for the improvement of the QMS and ensured its effectiveness. She hopes that this will be sustained for the welfare of the clients. She further added:

“The ISO certification will be externally-assessed on an on-going basis to ensure that the best practices are maintained.”

The DOLE 9 ISO Certification also includes the field offices in Zamboanga City, Isabela City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.

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