The Department of Trade and Industry – Competitiveness Bureau (DTI-CB) has conducted a 4-part Webinar Orientation Series on the Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Program entitled PQA is Live Now: A Digital Walkthrough on Performance Excellence in the New Normal from June to July. Aside from the brief orientation on the PQA Program, each session highlighted key criteria requirement related as responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and sharing of crisis response best practices implemented by selected recipient organizations. Recipient organizations came from different industries or sectors per session.
Spearheaded by DTI-CB Director Lilian G. Salonga, the National Quality and Competitiveness Division (NQCD) continued its effort to encourage organizations to adopt the PQA Framework as a tool to tackle the challenges of the current global health crisis.
The first webinar session was held last 18 June 2020 with the topic Crisis Management Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic. The session was hosted by the Vice President for PQA Administration of the Philippine Society for Quality, Mr. Anthony San Mateo. One of the longest serving PQA Assessors and the Managing Director and Senior Consultant of ACF Consultancy and Training Services, Ms. Angelica C. Fraginal discussed how winning the fight against COVID-19 depends on excellent leadership, strategies, customer care, data management, and robust processes. Ms. Fraginal gave an in-depth account of how these aspects can be attained through the PQA Criteria for Performance Excellence.
The presentation was followed by the sharing on COVID-19 response best practices by the Regional Director Sancho A. Mabborang, the Department of Science and Technology – Regional Office 2 (DOST-2). DOST-2 was a recipient of the Recognition on Proficiency in Quality Management in 2018. Director Maborrang gave insights as to how the PQA Framework has contributed to the development of the regional office into an agile organization capable for immediate adaptation with the challenges brought about by COVID-19.
Last 25 June 2020, the second webinar was organized with Dr. Joel C. Amante, a Senior PQA Assessor and independent Total Quality Management Consultant and Dr. Maya Marquez-Lim, the Medical Director of Ciudad Medical Zamboanga (CMZ). Ms. Ma. Theresa A. Agustin, Director of the Development Academy of the Philippines served as the moderator during the session. The topic was focused on Emergency Preparedness Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic as a requirement under the Category 6-Operations of the PQA including its related performance results.
Dr. Rafaelita M. Aldaba, Competitiveness and Innovation Group Undersecretary and PQA Committee Chair, also graced the webinar and gave the opening remarks. Usec. Aldaba stated that the pandemic brings about new challenges and difficulties, it likewise presents new opportunities that can be leveraged to discover new, better, and more resilient ways of doing things. She further underscored how the speed and direction of our economic recovery is largely contingent on organizational performance and the drive to discover new sources of competitiveness. To close, she encouraged organizations to adopt the PQA Framework not for the award or recognition but to guide them in fine tuning processes and achieve superior results to contribute to national competitiveness.
Mr. Amante discussed the specific requirements that address the lack of systematic processes in ensuring preparedness during emergencies. He concluded his presentation by encouraging organizations to assess the level of their emergency preparedness and emphasized that it is never too late to adopt necessary measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the second speaker, Dr. Marquez-Lim mentioned that their COVID-19 responses were successful because of decisive leadership, collaborative efforts with other private hospitals, dissemination of information to employees and customers, innovation, and financial stability that enabled them to discharge and support manpower. CMZ was a recipient of the 2013 Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management.
During the third webinar session which was conducted last 9 July 2020, Dr. Rey Fremista, the President of the Philippine Society for Quality, served as the moderator. The session highlighted the importance of ensuring health and safety of the employees during this health crisis as a requirement under Category 5 of the PQA. The first speaker was Engr. Robin C. Rubina, a seasoned PQA Assessor and the President & CEO of Synerquest Management Consultancy Services Inc. He enumerated how certain PQA criteria and results items can guide organizations in building an effective and supportive workplace environment. He also gave a comprehensive account of the necessary Occupational Health and Safety requirements emphasizing the need for organizations to comply with minimum standards.
The featured recipient organization was Southville International School and Colleges (SISC), the recipient of the 2018 Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management. The School President Dr. Jocelyn P. Tizon and Director for Communications Mr. Daniel William Steel represented it. Dr. Tizon enumerated how they needed to keep in touch with their leaders, faculty and staff, students and customers to remain relevant and responsive to their needs. While Mr. Steel highlighted how the use of technology such digital learning platforms and big data learning allowed them to transition towards online classes.
Lastly, the fourth part of the PQA Webinar series was organized last 16 July 2020. The PQA Senior Assessor and the Executive Director for Linkages and Standards at Lyceum of the Philippines University, Ms. Ma. Christina G. Aquino discussed the relevance of the topic Supporting Key Communities in the Midst of the COVID-19 Crisis and the requirements of the PQA on this matter. She emphasized that the PQA journey takes time; LPU-Manila adopted the PQA Framework in 2013 and continues to make improvements to this day. In terms of the relevance of the PQA criteria in Supporting Key Communities, she provided concrete examples of how LPU-Manila used the PQA to ensure the health and safety of its employees and students; strengthen local community services; and review the risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Raymond Yulo, a PQA Senior Assessor as well and the Process Excellence Manager of Google Philippines, moderated the session.
Meanwhile, STMicrolectronics Inc. (STMI), the recipient of the Recognition for Proficiency in Quality Management in 2014, shared their COVID-19 response best practices Dr. Antonio V. Villaflor, Program Director for Back End Manufacturing & Technology Excellence acted as the Resource Speaker from STMI. He recounted how the PQA provided them with tools to recover from the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020 then transition towards creating a resilient organization during the protracted lockdown period. He concluded his presentation by stating that pursuing organizational and individual excellence has allowed STMI to recover and meet their customer demands amidst COVID-19.
The PQA framework is a performance management approach to guarantee delivery of ever improving value to customers and stakeholders, thus ensuring organizational sustainability. By adopting the framework, organizations are encouraged to improve their processes to achieve performance excellence despite the difficulties businesses/firms as well as government agencies are facing now because of the pandemic. As emphasized by one of the Resource Persons during the Webinar Sessions, more than any point in time, adopting the framework is highly necessary to ensure organizational sustainability. ♦
Date of Release: 22 July 2020