THOSE who need to transact with Cebu City’s Office of the City Civil Registrar (OCCR) can expect high quality service and efficiency from its staff.
The OCCR recently acquired ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System certification from the International Organization for Standardization, which means the office is certified as fully compliant with international standards.
Lawyer Evangeline Abatayo, head of the OCCR, said she hopes that other City Hall departments will also be certified.
“Acquiring the certification was not really an easy process but with the help of our consultants, we we’re able to get the certification. Even our utilities and security guards were evaluated,” she said.
The certification, Abatayo said, means the OCCR is committed to improving the delivery of quality services, complying with regulatory requirements and enhancing customer satisfaction.
“The certification means that our management system and processes are compliant with the international standards,” she said.
The OCCR is responsible for the registration and processing of the late registration of a person’s birth, death and marriage, among other documents. It is also the office that issues marriage licenses.
The civil registrar is mandated to record acts, events, legal instruments and court decrees concerning the civil status of persons.
Abatayo said she is hopeful that incoming mayor Edgardo Labella will help them maintain the certification as they will be audited every year.
The OCCR is the first City Hall department that acquired such certification.
The office received the certification on May 9, 2019 with the help of the Human Resource and Development Office.
Abatayo said her office is also willing to assist other departments that aspire to get the certification to provide services that meet international standards.
In a Facebook post, outgoing Mayor Tomas Osmeña thanked everyone who made the certification possible.
“Usually given to private companies, the certification of the International Organization for Standardisation is not very common with LGUs. But because of the hard work of everyone involved, Cebu City now has a Quality Management System that is certified as fully compliant with international standards. Other departments are also following suit,” he wrote. (RVC)