Aside from the onboarding activity that features the mission and vision of the agency, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) conducted another onboarding session focused on Quality Management System (QMS) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 on January 27, 2023 to its seven newly hired employees.  

In coordination with the Human Resource Development Section, the Management Section (MS) aimed to create awareness of the importance of QMS and ISO by highlighting the significance of the two topics.

QMS is a set of policies, processes and procedures required for planning and execution in the core business area of an organization. ISO certification ensures a well-designed workflow that contributes to the quality of an organization’s services.

Before the recertification of the agency in October 2022, in the same month of 2019, PCAF received its ISO 9001:2015 certificate after two stages of audit in December 2018. 

The topics discussed in the onboarding include the composition of the ISO core team, PCAF quality policy, quality objectives, the importance of management review, and customer satisfaction surveys. 

PCAF’s four core business processes were also discussed: These are (1) development and coordination of agriculture and fisheries policies, (2) planning, monitoring and knowledge management, (3) partnership development, and (4) general administration and support services.

MS Chief Merlyn Galdonez also emphasized that all employees and officials must be familiar with the agency’s Quality Policy to remind them of the organization’s purpose, mission, and strategic direction. | Text by JC, photos by SMA