The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) formerly Philippine Accreditation Office is responsible for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies in the Philippines.
The PAB operates based on ISO/IEC 17011, General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies
The PAB is recognized internationally through its membership to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF),International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC), Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC). PAB is also a signatory to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) for Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) of PAC and Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of APLAC and ILAC.
History
The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (formerly Philippine Accreditation Office) is a fairly young organization having been made a full-pledged office only on April 11, 2006 when DTI former Secretary Peter B. Favila issued the Department Administrative Order 04, transferring the accreditation functions from the Bureau of Product Standards to the Office of the Undersecretary of the Consumer Welfare and Trade Regulation Group. The change was in response to the need to have a separate office which will undertake accreditation apart from certification, testing or inspection as required in the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC 17011:2004) Conformity assessment- General requirements for bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies. The office was named the Philippine Accreditation Office.
Accreditation Schemes for Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) was handled by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) from 1995 to 2006.
On May 18, 2009, Executive Order No. 802 was issued pursuant to Section 13 of Republic Act 9236 also known as “The National Metrology Act of 2003” which strengthened and recognized the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) as the national accreditation body, the central body to accredit inspection, testing and certifying bodies and other bodies offering conformity assessment services.
Upon approval by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) of DTI’s Rationalization Plan (pursuant to Executive Order No. 366 dated 04 October 2004) effective 17 October 2013, the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) was then renamed as Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB).
The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) is under the Office of the Undersecretary of the Consumer Protection Group (CPG) formerly Consumer Welfare and Trade Regulation Group of the Department of Trade and Industry.
PAB Quality Policy and Objectives
The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) shall provide quality service to its customers that create the confidence in the competence and integrity of all PAB accreditation activities.
PAB shall provide accreditation service according to the requirements of internationally accepted standards, ISO/IEC 17011 and applicable international guidance documents.
PAB is committed to:
- be impartial, fair and objective in its dealing with Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs).
- contribute to the development and mutual recognition of practical and effective conformity assessment activities worldwide.
- observe confidentiality in all its dealing with CABs.
- ensure the integrity and value of the certificates issued by its accredited CABs.
- adhere to a high standard of competence, professionalism, integrity and good ethics.
- continually improve PAB quality by monitoring, measuring and enhancing the effectiveness of procedural systems.
Mandate
The PAB as national accreditation body of the Philippines is mandated to accredit inspection, testing, calibration and certifying bodies and other bodies offering conformity assessment services. Essentially, the PAB would:
- Strengthen the technical infrastructure in the country for better consumer protection and in making Philippine Products competitive in both domestic and foreign markets;
- Give recognition to conformity results through the assessment and evaluation of certification bodies or laboratories;
- Enter into mutual or multilateral recognition arrangements for acceptance by accredited bodies and institutions in the Philippines; and
- Support industries and consumers through the provision of reliable conformity assessment results.
Organization
Involvement in Regional and International Recognition
The PAB operates its accreditation schemes in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011:2004, Conformity assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies and the applicable IAF/PAC and ILAC/APLAC Mandatory and Guidance documents.
The PAB is recognized regionally and internationally with its membership to the following organizations and a signatory to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) for Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) of PAC and IAF; and Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Testing and Calibration of APLAC and ILAC.
 | International Accreditation Forum (IAF) The IAF is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation Bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and other similar programmes of conformity assessment. |
 | International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) The ILAC is a worldwide organization for laboratories and inspection bodies to help remove technical barriers to trade. |
 | Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) The PAC is an association of accreditation bodies and other interested parties whose objective is to facilitate trade and commerce among economies in the Asia Pacific region. |
| Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) |
| Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) Working Group on Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (WG2) |
