The DOT QMS Third-Party Re-Certification Audit was conducted on September 11 and 12, 2024 by PT AJA Sertifikasi Indonesia-Philippine Representative Office, an ISO certification body.

For seven straight years, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has successfully passed the ISO 9001:2015 certification, a testament to the Department’s consistent and continuous upholding of quality management.

During the closing ceremony of this year’s re-certification process, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco emphasized the DOT’s commitment to excellence in government service.

“As this process of third-party recertification concludes, we are filled with a deep sense of relief, for one, but also optimism that with the right standards in place, the exercise of our functions is not only to the minimum level of compliance but rather to always exceed that which is expected of us, which is to deliver performance in terms of tourism for the country. And so, achieving and maintaining our ISO certification is not just a milestone for the Department of Tourism, but our commitment to serving with excellence,” Frasco said.

“This globally recognized benchmark ensures that our processes consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements, and as we close the chapter of this audit, I wish to thank our officials, as well as the entire DOT family, for all of the work that has been put in, not just towards this audit, but really towards all of the programs and projects that we have put in place since the beginning of the Marcos Administration,” she added.

The tourism chief likewise recognized the consolidated efforts of the entire DOT, from its officials to all its employees, which made the re-certification possible again for seven consecutive years.

The DOT first earned the highly regarded certification in 2018, followed by successful third-party surveillance audits in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, the DOT passed its re-certification audit, further maintaining its high standards of service.

By 2022 and 2023, also the beginning years under the helm of Secretary Frasco, the DOT retained its certification, passing two more surveillance audits without any non-conformities.