Osmeña bids farewell, cites accomplishment

CEBU, Philippines — As he bid farewell to City Hall employees yesterday, outgoing Mayor Tomas Osmeña made a special mention of the Office of the City Civil Registrar, which secured for the city a certification for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015.

Osmeña considers the certification as one of the city’s achievements in the last three years with him as mayor because it is reportedly difficult for government offices to secure an ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System rating.

“I’m giving honor here today to the men and women of the division that got an ISO rating. That is a bright star for all of you to beacon on,” he said in a speech after the flag raising ceremony.

Osmeña said he dreamed of having an ISO-certified department 20 years ago but this did not materialize until this year.

The city received the certification on May 9, 2019, less than a year since the OCCR and the city’s Human Resource and Development Office started preparing the documents needed for it.

Osmeña said the hard work of the employees and officials paved the way for Cebu City to have a Quality Management System that is certified as fully compliant with international standards.

“This is one accomplishment that I’m very, very proud of,” he said.

OCCR head Atty. Evangeline Abatayo said the ISO certification is a stamp that prompts the city to deliver its commitment in improving the delivery of quality services, complying regulatory requirements, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

“The office was audited by a third party certification body and has been found compliant with the internationally accepted standards for quality management and processes,” she said.

Abatayo said the ceremonial awarding of the certification yesterday reminds and encourages other offices of the city to sustain the certification and for others to secure one.

“As we take the next step of sustaining the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System to its optimum, we hope that the incoming mayor Edgar Labella takes his role as Quality Management Representative and shall equally remain firmly unwavering to the system by providing the requisite resources,” Abatayo said.

At the flag raising ceremony, Osmeña told the thousands of city employees.

“I say goodbye to all of you and I hope that Sto. Niño will continue to protect us. We will survive. You will survive and God willing, Cebu will survive,” he said.

Osmeña lost to Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella in the May 13 polls. His running mate, Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, also lost to former mayor and vice mayor Michael Rama. (FREEMAN)