THE Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) of the Department of Trade and Industry has awarded the International Standards Organization (ISO) Certificate to the Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory after its application for water testing was approved by the accreditation body.
PAB Laboratory Accreditation Manager Perla Baje, who led the awarding ceremony held at Metro Inn Hotel in Bacolod City Monday, said the Bacolod-based laboratory, which mainly caters to water-refilling establishments, is the first private company in the province to be given an ISO certification.
It started applying in October last year, and was granted with the certification in January this year after complying with various accreditation processes, including submission of quality manuals, and compliance to international and regulatory standards, Baje said.
The facility was also subjected to an onsite assessment, where experts conducted chemical and microbiological testing to check on the competency level of the analysis the laboratory is doing, she added.
“Through the ISO certification, technical competence is assured and management system is put in place,” Baje said, adding that this gives clients the assurance that test results are correct and reliable, and is conforming to global competitiveness standards.
The ISO certification is given to both government institutions and private companies regardless of their scale.
PAB records showed that currently, there are already 233 ISO-accredited government and private laboratories in the country.
The certification given to the Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory, through the support of partner-agencies including the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, is valid for five years, with two surveillance visits in between to make sure of its compliance.
Its chairman Roberto Gatuslao said that with this certification the company can assure the public of quality services, particularly of standard tests and analysis results.
“By having ISO certified, the cooperative is also optimistic to attract more clients in the province as well those from other regions,” Gatuslao added. (EPN)