“APAC ‘s primary role is to manage and expand a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) among accreditation bodies in the Asia Pacific region.  The MRA facilitates the acceptance of conformity assessment results (e.g. test reports, test certificates, inspection reports, and certification) across the region and with other regions around the world.” Source: APAC Website

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) retained its signatory status to the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for the scopes of testing and calibration based on ISO/IEC 17025. Results of the APAC MRA voting also extended its signatory status for the scopes of medical testing based on ISO 15189 and inspection body based on ISO/IEC 17020.

The DTI-PAB has sustained its signatory status to APAC MRA since 2005 for testing and calibration as a testament to its fulfillment of the criteria of ISO/IEC 17011: Conformity Assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies through a process called peer evaluation. Highly trained evaluators from fellow signatory accreditation bodies conduct peer evaluation every four years to guarantee that a signatory member fulfills the criteria and eligibility requirements set out in the APAC Constitution.  DTI-PAB underwent peer evaluation in February 05-09, 2018.

The DTI-PAB is a full member of Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC).  Full membership is reserved for associate members who have successfully completed initial peer evaluation under the APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA). Accreditation bodies become full members after their positive peer evaluation recommendation is accepted by all the existing APAC Full Members. The MRA promote trust and build confidence among accreditation bodies across the world.

The APAC MRA forms a network of conformity assessment bodies which are accredited by fellow accreditation bodies that undergo peer evaluation and recognized as being competent by other economies. As of 31 December 2018, DTI-PAB has accredited two hundred thirty-four (234) testing and calibration laboratories, seven (7) medical testing laboratories and seven (7) inspection bodies.  APAC MRA facilitates the mutual acknowledgment and acceptance of conformity assessment results/data/reports issued by these accredited laboratories across the region contributing to the facilitation of trade and easier acceptance of goods and services between economies. This also helps reduce added costs to businesses by minimizing or eliminating the need for retesting and re-inspection once a product enters a new border.

For more information about APAC, please visit: https://www.apac-accreditation.org.♦

(This article was cross-posted from DTI-PAB)

Date of Release: 1 Mar 2019