President Benigno S. Aquino III honored the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCHRD-DOST) and fifty-nine other government institutions and agencies last Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at the Malacañang for receiving ISO 9001:2008 certification.

In his speech, the President expressed his gratitude to the ISO recipients for doing their best to strive for excellence in management and governance.

“Lubos tayong nagpapasalamat sa iba’t ibang organisasyon ng gobyerno na nakakamit ng ISO 9001 Certification; patunay ito sa ipinapamalas ninyong dedikasyon at propesyunalismo sa inyong tungkulin [I am grateful to the government agencies that have received the ISO 9001 Certification; a proof of the dedication and professionalism that you show in your respective duties],” the President said.

ISO 9001:2008 requires companies and government agencies to consistently follow a quality management system in delivering government services that is recognized worldwide. The ISO certification guarantees that quality management systems have been set up, implemented and maintained by a company or a government agency.

Executive Order (EO) No. 605, which was signed on February 23, 2007, mandates government agencies to work for ISO certification of government processes towards citizen-centric services.

The certification is a testimony to the PCHRD’s mission to â€œpractise good governance to effectively perform the Council’s role in leading, managing and coordinating the health research system.”

The President also reminded everyone to always continue striving for excellence in public service. He said that the Council, as well as the 59 other awardees, should set example to all government agencies in the country to push for honest and credible public service.

He said, “Nawa’y hindi kayo magsawang magtrabaho nang tapat at manatili kayong gabay ng iba pang mga institusyon sa bansa. [I hope that you continue to work with honesty and set good example to other institutions in the country.