The Laboratory Accreditation Division (LAD) and Promotion and Documentation Division (PDD) held this year’s CABs Forum and Capability Building Program to help PAB’s Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) competently perform their conformity assessment functions. The online activities were held to help CABs improve their knowledge and skills, as well as to keep them updated on PAB policies, procedures, and requirements.
In addition to the CABs’ Forum held on August 15 & 19, PAB also provided its accredited CABs with capacity building program comprising of training/webinars on Data Privacy Law (August 15, 2022), Statistical Tools in the Interpretation of Laboratory Results (August 24-25, 2022), and Basic Records and Archives Management and (August 16, 2022). The Bureau believes that these training programs are essential for CABs to have appropriate knowledge on how they could properly protect the data they obtain from their clients, deliver accurate statistical interpretation, and practice government-prescribed records and management policy.
During the first half of the CABs forum, PAB Director James E. Empeño officially welcomed the participants, emphasizing that through the activities, PAB is fostering a well-informed and policy-driven accredited conformity assessment bodies.
PAB invited external resource speakers with proven knowledge and experiences from relevant organizations to present specific topics.
Webinar on Data Privacy Law
Engr. Janssen Esguerra of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) presented the Data Privacy Law, he highlighted the importance of data privacy, integrity, records and data life cycle, and ALCOA (Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Accurate) – the Key to data integrity, information security management.
He also touched on the topic about encryption and shared some of the best practices for protecting data. He shared that encryption is necessary for protecting important data and information. One of the best practices he emphasized was to avoid clicking any suspicious links in emails or on websites.
The last part of his presentation was focused on the discussion of the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012.
Webinar on Basic Records and Archives Management
Proper records management is an essential tool in helping laboratories continuously manage their quality system. Records are tangible references that an organization may use during decision making. Poor recordkeeping is usually viewed as an indication of poor performance and disorganization.
Some of the laboratory documents that are being checked during assessments are the quality manual, standards operation procedures, controlled documents, personal files, client records, and other documents that include information about equipment used and maintenance.
This webinar provided CABs personnel with the knowledge and skills needed in implementing required standard policies on records creation and control, maintenance and use, and disposition.
Mr. Terence Michael Tablizo of the National Archive of the Philippines (NAP) discussed the fundamentals of records management, records, creation, records maintenance and use, and records disposition. He also included discussions on the National Archive of the Philippines’ Memorandum Circular No. 2104-01 – Electronic Records Management Policy.
Webinar on Statistical Tools in the Interpretation of Laboratory Results
Dr. Fortunato Sevilla III, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Chemistry, College of Science of the University of Santo Tomas provided a refresher course on the application of statistics in various phases of measurement, carried out in the laboratory. The webinar served as a review and provided participants with updates on mathematical measures of the significance of laboratory data.
The participants were expected to apply statistical tools for the assessment and interpretation of the results in various phases of measurements carried out in the laboratory. They are also expected to carry out statistical procedures using updated techniques and communicate the information derived from the results of the application of statistics in measurements.
An open forum ensued right after the presentations of the speakers, to accommodate questions and clarifications as well as to allow the participants to express accreditation-related concerns.
PAB Assistant Director Ernani M. Dionisio concluded the session by thanking the organizers and attendees for their active involvement. He also urged them to offer honest feedback, observations, and other suggestions. He was hopeful that the activities were able to create a more cooperative and collaborative atmosphere between PAB and its CABs.
To stay updated about PAB events and activities, visit the events page and watch for the clickable banners of the PAB website: www.dti.gov.ph/pab.
Release Date: 01 September 2022.