Photo taken during the PAB and APAC Peer Evaluators Technical Dry-Run on 22 December 2020

The Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) peer-evaluators conducted a technical dry-run on 22 December 2020 in preparation for the upcoming 2021 APAC remote peer re-evaluation.

The APAC was established on 01 January 2019 by the amalgamation of two former regional accreditation cooperations – the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC). The role of APAC is to manage and expand a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) among accreditation bodies in the Asia Pacific region.

The MRA facilitates the acceptance of conformity assessment results (e.g. test reports, test certificates, inspection reports, and certification) across the region and with other regions in the world. Conformity assessment results that are produced by conformity assessment bodies (CABs) that have been accredited by APAC MRA signatories are accepted by other APAC MRA signatories.

This mutual recognition and acceptance of conformity assessment results reduces the need to undertake duplicate testing, inspection or certification, thus saving cost, time and money; increasing economic efficiency and facilitating international trade (www.apac-accreditation.org).

As the national accreditation body, DTI PAB is mandated to accredit Conformity Assessment Bodies (i.e. certification body; inspection body; testing and calibration laboratories including medical; and other bodies offering conformity assessment services), and maintain its APAC MRA signatory status to help Philippine products and services become more competitive in the global market. To maintain this APAC MRA signatory status, DTI-PAB must establish competence to do accreditation services through reevaluation every four (4) years.

APAC has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be using online communication technologies to carry out its evaluation activities. It has developed and published guidance and requirements on remote peer evaluation among accreditation bodies, the APAC MRA-009 Performing Remote Evaluations. This will ensure unhampered evaluations during the ongoing worldwide travel restrictions and challenges on safety.

DTI-PAB is confident that it will sustain its APAC MRA signatory status after stringent evaluation by the APAC peer-evaluators in January 2021.

To know more about DTI-PAB please visit www.dti.gov.ph/pab.

Release Date: 29 December 2020.