JUNE 17, 2021, MANILA—The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) celebrated a milestone on the road to becoming one of the few non-government organizations (NGOs) in the world to achieve ISO certification in a recent virtual ceremony.

PDRF top executives and staff attended the event to celebrate the completion of three significant ISO requirements: (1) the Business Process Model highlighting PDRF’s management, core, and support processes; (2) the updated organizational chart supporting the organization’s Quality Management System (QMS) objectives; (3) and the standard operating procedures serving as a guide for internal and external partners.

During the ceremony, representatives from each unit expressed their commitment to completing the ISO process and upholding the established standard operating procedures.

PDRF Executive Director Veronica Gabaldon led the staff in the recitation of the Foundation’s quality policy—a statement of the organization’s purpose and strategic direction and commitment to quality, meeting requirements, and continual improvement. The updated PDRF quality policy may be accessed here

“Processes are the backbone of our work,” said Gabaldon. “This is the very roadmap that will allow us to implement programs consistently, within a standard. From a small project to a large multi-year project to an international project, the standard, the quality of work will be there. And this ISO framework will help us do that,” she added.

PDRF Chief Resilience Officer Bill Luz said that adopting the ISO will also attract quality partners. “Because of the combination of organizational culture, the DNA, continuous improvement, and reputation, this will also attract not just any partners but quality partners. And that’s why people come to us because they see PDRF as their quality partner, we become their partner of choice,” Luz said. 

Earlier this year, PDRF took the initial steps towards becoming one of the first non-government organizations (NGOs) in the world to be ISO-Certified. ISO is an internationally recognized standard to maintain and exceed customer satisfaction led by the International Organization for Standardization—a global entity that seeks to provide standardization across various products and companies with an emphasis on ensuring the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems.

“Few, if any, NGOs have ever achieved it, so once again, PDRF will be blazing a trail for others to follow. ISO certification can also help reassure stakeholders that we follow the highest standards in implementing our projects,” said PDRF President Butch Meily.

Meeting these international standards for QMS requires organizations to undergo meticulous assessments and adjustments of their internal processes. PDRF assembled its QMS Core Team composed of experts in the different fields of the organization’s work who have been attending training activities and implementing all the necessary changes to improve the organization’s processes.

As the year progresses, the PDRF QMS Core Team will continue to undergo in-depth training on QMS procedures while receiving technical assistance on the development of all processes. The team will also prepare for a crucial internal quality audit with mock audit and simulation activities. The results of the audit will determine the organization’s adherence to ISO standards.