The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) joined other ASEAN Member States in a workshop that discusses the best practices and strategic approaches for marketing personnel of accreditation bodies in engaging regulators at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral on November 19-20, 2019.
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) – sponsored, “ACCSQ Workshop on Enhancing Regulator Acceptance of Accreditation and Accredited Conformity Assessment” was a two-day workshop that supports the implementation of Output 4 of the Phase III of the Project Cooperation, “Strengthening Quality Infrastructure in ASEAN” wherein “Private economy, regulatory authorities and consumers are informed on relevant topics on quality infrastructure”.
The workshop served as a forum for participants from accreditation bodies and selected regulatory bodies to discuss best practices and develop strategic approaches as well as share experiences to effectively engage regulators in discussions that would help in increasing appreciation of accreditation and accredited conformity assessment services. It also provided wider insights and additional knowledge in making informed decision and strategies that can be adopted by participating institutions.
The program aimed at providing marketing and communication staff with knowledge and tools that can be utilized to ensure that regulators have a better grasp of the value of accreditation and accredited services.
The workshop is a welcome opportunity to PAB since it is pushing for recognition of accreditation and more harmonized accredited conformity assessments among regulators in the Philippines. PAB is currently talking to different regulators in the country to understand their conformity assessment requirements and enlighten them on the role of accreditation and standards in these activities. It is expected that there will be better compliance with regulations and achievement of quality standards by eliminating redundancies when dealing with different government agencies providing conformity assessment activities.
PAB has just finalized a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Health (DOH) which seeks to accredit its National Reference Laboratories as well as encourage the use of PAB accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs) by its laboratories and other facilities, among others — which will soon be signed by their respective Secretaries. It is also in discussion with the Department of Energy (DOE) on the inclusion of PAB accreditation and use of accredited conformity assessment services in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act No. 11285 (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act) which was passed on April 12, 2019. Moreover, negotiations with other regulatory agencies which are members of the PAB Council are also in the pipeline.
To learn more about PAB’s initiative in facilitating and strengthening the harmonization of quality infrastructure in various sectors, visit its news / information section of its website (https://www.dti.gov.ph/pab) and watch for its latest updates and press releases. PAB can be reach at Telephone: +632 8895-3995 and E-mail: pab@dti.gov.ph.
Release Date: 25 November 2019