DBM receives ISO certification

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has earned the seal of the largest international third party standardization group measuring quality delivery of service of the public and private sectors.

The DBM said it was awarded the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 certification for quality management system standards.

“So far, the DBM is the only government agency to get a department-wide ISO certification on its first try,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

According to its website, ISO is the largest non-governmental developer of standards that measure different aspects of service such as quality management, environmental management, social responsibility, energy management and risk management.

The Geneva-based group also awards certifications food safety management, information security management, country codes and occupational health and safety.

For the DBM, the agency said it was awarded certification for its “efficient and effective” policy formulation, management of the national budget, and monitoring and analysis of its own performance.

Since it is a department-wide accreditation, the ISO 9001:2008 seal covers not only the DBM head office in Manila, but also its regional offices.

“The DBM has been continuously working to improve its systems and processes to ensure the preparation and implementation of the national budget addresses the urgent needs of our people,” Abad said.

“This certification represents a seal of approval on our efforts to deliver efficient and effective public service,” he added.

While there is no tangible benefit present on gaining an ISO certification, the organization said ISO standards could be used as “reference” of state agencies in the formulation of policies and regulations.