As part of its commitment to enhance service quality and streamline processes, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) has officially launched its bid for ISO 9001:2015 certification, completing its first phase on Thursday, October 17.

The initial audit was conducted by TÜV SÜD, a globally renowned certification body specializing in Quality Management Systems (QMS). Lead Auditor Erwin Quinto spearheaded the rigorous audit, which assessed PCA’s compliance with the international standards for quality management.

Securing the ISO 9001:2015 accreditation will solidify the PCA's reputation as a more reliable and efficient organization, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality services and ensuring customer satisfaction. This move is crucial as the Authority strives to elevate its operational standards and provide even higher quality services to coconut farmers and industry stakeholders alike.

Led by Administrator Dexter R. Buted, the PCA team is driven by a shared vision of improving institutional standards and promoting the welfare of coconut farmers.

“𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐼𝑆𝑂 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 ‘𝑤𝑒,’ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝐶𝐴 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝐼𝑆𝑂 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒,” Administrator Buted underscored.

The PCA’s journey toward ISO certification marks a collective feat for the agency and the coconut industry. By raising the bar on quality, the Authority heralds a more prosperous future for coconut farmers, their families, and the broader industry.