ISO CERTIFICATION. The officials and personnel of the Bureau of Customs Sub-port of Dumaguete, which has been granted the ISO certification after having passed the final external audit. The Dumaguete sub-port is the first among 39 BOC sub-ports in the country to be ISO-certified. (Photo courtesy of BOC)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) Sub-port of Dumaguete has earned the distinction of being the agency’s first among the 39 sub-ports in the entire country to be granted the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001:2015 certification.
This, after the sub-port here passed the final external audit last week, said Dumaguete Customs Collector Fe Lluelyn G. Toring, in an interview on Monday.
The two-day final external audit was the last stage of compliance with the requirements for the ISO accreditation, she said.
“The ISO sets standards for assessment. In our case, we have to address the 10-point priority program of our Commissioner, Rey Leonardo Guerrero, one of which is getting ISO-certified for quality management and efficiency,” Toring added.
The final audit was conducted by the TüvSüd Management Service, a German auditing and certification service provider, to check on whether the Dumaguete Sub-port has conformed with and met the ISO standards, such as customer satisfaction, compliance with regularity requirements, and ease of doing business.
“The external audit team pored over our records for this year, and did a thorough check of all other documents on hand, as well as inspected our office and premises,” Toring said.
She attributed this “milestone” to the dedication and commitment of workers at the sub-port and the assistance of the district port in Cebu.
Toring said being ISO-certified will further boost the sub-port’s image of being able to provide ease of doing business, and in the process, will be able to reach or even exceed its yearly target revenue collections as well as other services provided.
“Our clients will now see that it is easy to do business with us because we now have a system that meets international standards,” she said.
The Dumaguete Customs Sub-port Office has been consistent over the past years in achieving or exceeding its annual revenue targets.
Even before the year 2020 is over, it has already breached its target by earning an actual collection of more than PHP4.817 billion as of Nov. 20.
This is about PHP458.2 million or 10.51 percent higher than the set target collection of about PHP4.359 billion.
Toring thanked Guerrero, the Cebu BOC port office, and the BOC Interim Internal Quality Management System Office (IIQMSO) for their help in guiding them through the ISO certification process.
She also expressed her gratitude to the sub-port staff as well as its top importers like Filoil Energy Co., Inc., and others, for helping them achieve their yearly targets. (PNA)
