Dipolog City, Zamboanga Del Norte - Bringing another accomplishment in the Department of Science and Technology system was the DOST Regional Office IX for being the first DOST regional office to receive accreditation from the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) of the Department of Trade and Industry.
According to Dr. Agustin M. Fudolig, Deputy Executive Director of the DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), the accreditation was given to DOST IX for having been assessed and found conforming to the requirements of PNS ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and the PAO condition for laboratory accreditation in the field of calibration.
Dr. Fudolig also explained that the accreditation for a metrology laboratory may be the first for the DOST system but stressed that all the DOST chemical and microbial laboratories have been ISO certified.
DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo who was represented by Dr. Fudolig said in his certificate of recognition for DOST Regional Office IX for “…being the first DOST Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory (RSTL) to be accredited by the Philippine Accreditation Office in the field of Calibration through the DOST-GIA project, “Implementation and Maintenance of Laboratory Accreditation in all DOST Laboratories in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025.”
Awarding of the certificate of accreditation was done in this city on 7 July 2001 during the Opening Ceremonies of the Regional Inventions Contest and Exhibits (RICE) as part of the Regional Science and Technology Week (RSTW) celebrations. (Aristotle P. Carandang, S&T Media Service)
