15 FEBRUARY 2021, MANILA—The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) has begun its journey towards becoming the first non-profit/humanitarian organization in the country to become ISO 9001:2015 certified.

As part of the organization’s commitment to serve their community effectively and efficiently, PDRF initiated the application process for ISO certification, an internationally recognized standard to maintain and exceed customer satisfaction. ISO-certified organizations are recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a global entity that seeks to provide standardization across various products and companies ensuring the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems. Organizations have to undergo meticulous assessments and adjustments of their internal processes to meet international standards. Certification is handled by a third-party certifying body and is tested annually. 

As an initial step towards acquiring the certification, PDRF recently conducted a 2-day orientation on ISO led by a certified auditor. The first session focused on the top management while the second one focused on the general employee population of PDRF. PDRF Executive Director Veronica Gabaldon also led the Pledge of Commitment where all attendees expressed their commitment to improving their work and delivering high quality services to their clients and communities.

She reiterated that the certification will be the cherry on top of the cake since the process of earning it will significantly improve the organization’s work. “This is going to be another important milestone for PDRF. This is important because, as we move ahead, as we expand, as we go to the next level, and as we strengthen our global reach as an organization, we must ensure that our processes, our systems, are standardized and in place. This is a way of ensuring the sustainability and the longevity of the organization.”

Moreover, PDRF President Mr. Butch Meily ensured that the organization will continue to create impactful programs for the stakeholders. “Sometimes, it’s the journey, it’s the process, that’s more important or just as important as the certification because it involves a lot of self-examination and just being able to understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. It’s another way for PDRF to show its leadership. If we are the first in the country to be certified as an NGO, I suspect we’ll be one of the first in the world in this area as well, so we continue to show the way,” he said.

PDRF Chief Resilience Officer Mr. Guillermo Luz emphasized that the real work begins after the certification. “It’s a journey, but it’s a journey that doesn’t end. The finish line is always moving. So, we get to a stage where we get certified, we pass, but actually, the real work begins because we need to maintain the standard, we need to keep our rating, so that part of the journey continues. And I think it’s a frame of mind that we need to have: we need to know that we’re in for a marathon that never finishes,” he said.