QUEZON CITY – The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) launched a rigorous three-day training-workshop, from March 18-20, 2025, at its Central Office Agro Hub Building, marking the commencement of its determined journey towards securing the prestigious Philippine Quality Award (PQA). This move sets the PCA to potentially become the one of the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to achieve this national recognition for organizational excellence.

Led by PCA Administrator and CEO Dr. Dexter E. Buted, the authority is leveraging its recent ISO certification, obtained in December 2024, as a trailblazing step toward the PQA.

"ISO certification is not the finish line; it is merely the first checkpoint in a much greater race: the prestigious Philippine Quality Awards," ADRB said during his opening remarks. He drew parallels to his tenure at Pangasinan State University (PSU), which, under his guidance, became the first higher education institution to achieve PQA Level III: Mastery in Quality Management in 2021.

The Philippine Quality Award Program, established under Executive Order 448 in 1997 and later institutionalized through Republic Act 9013 (Philippine Quality Award Act) in 2001, is the highest level of national recognition for organizational excellence. It serves as a global competitiveness template, promoting a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach that benchmarks Philippine organizations against world-class standards. Comparable to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) of the United States, the PQA provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating leadership, strategy, customer engagement, knowledge management, workforce development, operational efficiency, and overall results.

Engr. Angelica C. Fraginal, Managing Director and Lead Consultant of ACF Consultancy and Training Services, led the in-house training-workshop. Her expertise is crucial in guiding the PCA’s Technical Working Group through the complex PQA application process, which includes a detailed discussion of the criteria and guidelines for preparing the application report.

"The PQA is a gold standard; it is the highest level of national recognition for quality and organizational performance," PCA chief stated, underscoring the significance of the award. He underscored that the PCA's pursuit of the PQA is driven by a commitment to excellence and a desire to set new standards in public service.

The PQA process involves multiple stages, including eligibility determination, independent review, consensus review, site visit review, and final judges review. Award recipients are recognized at four levels: Commitment to Quality Management, Proficiency in Quality Management, Mastery in Quality Management, and Performance Excellence.

The training-workshop aims to equip the PCA’s designated Technical Working Group with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the PQA application process effectively. "We will not settle for 'good enough' because 'good enough' has never changed the world," ADRB asserted, calling for a collective effort to achieve this historic feat.

PCA's pursuit of the PQA transcends institutional achievement. It is a commitment to the very foundation of the coconut industry: the Filipino farmers. As the agency take bold strides in its operational mastery and service excellence, it eaims to create a ripple effect, ensuring that the benefits of improved efficiency, streamlined processes, and enhanced service delivery directly translate to tangible improvements in the lives of the coconut farmers. The award is a promise of a more responsive, effective, and farmer-centric PCA.