Eight newly appointed DA-BAFS employees took their oath on November 25, 2024, at the 2nd Floor of the DA-BAFS Building, Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. The oath-taking ceremony was led by OIC-Director Mary Grace R. Mandigma, PFT, and was assisted by Ms. Roxanne P. Lizardo, Administrative Officer V, and Ms. Rosemarie V. Calibo, Information Officer III of the Administrative and Finance Services. The newly appointed employees include two Science Research Specialists for the Technical Services Division, one each for the Standards Research Division, and Standards Development Division, three for the Organic Agriculture Division, and one Chief Science Research Specialist, also for the Organic Agriculture Division. Following the congratulatory message from the OIC-Director, the Ceremonial Signing of Appointments took place. To conclude the activity, all newly appointed employees recited the “Oath of Office,” signifying their commitment and dedication to their new roles and responsibilities as public servants. Photo opportunities were conducted to document this significant professional growth and development of DA-Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards employees. (Photo by Mark Brian E. Umali and Lhesley Ann L. Bulanier) #BAFS2024#Achievement#RecruitmentandPromotion Oath Taking Ceremony of DA-BAFS Newly Appointed Employees for FY 2024 December 6, 2024 ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) Surveillance Audit December 6, 2024 Validation Workshop with the DA-Food Safety Regulatory Agencies (FSRAs) for the Study “Baseline Assessment on the Use and Impact of Philippines national Standards (PNS)” December 4, 2024 Oral Presentation of “BIOSTIMULANTS GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES” at the SAIN 4 SHGBEE3 (Siem Reap, Cambodia) November 22, 2024 DA-BAFS Support to the Celebration of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) November 22, 2024 Supervised Certification of PGS Group (Aborian and Quezon, Palawan) November 21, 2024 DA-BAFS Assessment Team conducted an assessment to a core PGS Group based in Amadeo, Cavite November 21, 2024 Surveillance Audit to an Accredited PGS Group (Dimiao, Bohol) November 21, 2024 1 2 3 4

Inspectors from the DA-BAFS A Commitment to Quality Assurance Quality is the cornerstone of any successful organization and in the field of agriculture and fisheries, it plays a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of products and the competitiveness of the industry. The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (DA-BAFS), throughout the years, consistently strived to produce quality products and provide customer-focused services. A testament to this commitment to maintaining processes that yield quality deliverables is the continued satisfaction of the DA-BAFS to the ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System (QMS) requirements validated through the 2nd Surveillance Audit held last December 2, 2024. Led by auditors Ms. Mary Danica Pelone and Ms. Zipporah Bernardo from TUV SUD PSB Inc., the surveillance audit aimed to review and verify the Bureau’s compliance with the ISO 9001:2015 requirements. BAFS OIC-Director Mary Grace R. Mandigma, process owners, and the concerned staff were actively involved throughout the audit process, demonstrating their commitment to quality assurance. During the closing meeting, the auditors presented the results of the surveillance audit, which identified a total of seven findings, all categorized as opportunities for improvement. While it is not uncommon to have findings in such audits, the most significant news is that the auditors concluded that the Bureau’s current Quality Management System (QMS) fully satisfied the ISO 9001:2015 requirements. #BAFS #ISOCertified Validation Workshop with the DA-Food Safety Regulatory Agencies (FSRAs) for the Study “Baseline Assessment on the Use and Impact of Philippines national Standards (PNS)” December 23, 2024 ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS) Surveillance Audit December 6, 2024 Oral Presentation of “BIOSTIMULANTS GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES” at the SAIN 4 SHGBEE3 (Siem Reap, Cambodia) November 22, 2024 DA-BAFS Support to the Celebration of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) November 22, 2024 Supervised Certification of PGS Group (Aborian and Quezon, Palawan) November 21, 2024 DA-BAFS Assessment Team conducted an assessment to a core PGS Group based in Amadeo, Cavite November 21, 2024 Surveillance Audit to an Accredited PGS Group (Dimiao, Bohol) November 21, 2024 Surveillance Audit of an Accredited PGS OCB (Itogon, Benguet) November 14, 2024 1 2 3 4