ISO Circulates Guidelines in Publicizing ISO 9001 and 14001 Certifications

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) circulates strict guidelines to assist organizations in publicizing certifications to the ISO 9001 quality management system and ISO 14001 environmental management system standards.

"By using ISO's guidelines, you will avoid the pitfalls of false, misleading or confusing
statements in your communications about ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 certification and thus avoid harming the credibility of your organization. If you follow the guidelines, you will be demonstrating the same rigour in your communications about certification as you have done in implementing your ISO 9001 quality management system or ISO 14001 environmental management system." ISO stresses.

The guidelines are intended to help organizations apply good practice when publicizing,

communicating and promoting their certification to stakeholders including staff,
customers and business partners, and to the general public. The guidelines will prove
useful in preparing promotional and communication material such as press releases, advertisements, marketing brochures, videos, staff announcements, logos, slogans and catch lines for diverse media ranging from print and broadcasting, to Internet and multi-media applications, to signs, banners, vehicle fleets and so on.

ISO's guidelines insist upon reference to the full designation of ISO 9001 in order to avoid any possibility of confusion between certification to the now only valid version and to the older standard.

Also, ISO emphasizes, "ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 give generic requirements for
management systems, not requirements for specific products or services. ISO 9001
and ISO 14001 certification marks of conformity are not to be displayed on products, on product labels, on product packaging, or in any way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity."

For more information on the guidelines in publicizing ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications, send an email to bps@dti.gov.ph.

DOTr, Bombardier Sign Agreement on OEM Signaling Spare Parts and Maintenance of MRT-3

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Pursuant to efforts to rehabilitate and restore MRT-3, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Canadian company Bombardier Transportation have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the urgent procurement of OEM signaling spare parts and signaling maintenance for MRT-3. 

In a signing ceremony in Pasay City today, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade signed an MOU with officials from Bombardier together with Canadian Ambassador John Holmes.

Bombardier is the company that designed, supplied, commissioned, and maintained the MRT-3 signaling system for its first 12 years of operations. Bombardier is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and proprietary rights owner of the Cityflo 250 Light Rail and Metro Signaling Solution, which is the signaling system used in the MRT-3 system.

Under the MOU, the DOTr will procure an OEM signaling spare parts and 2-year signaling maintenance contract from Bombardier via direct contracting and emergency procurement, pursuant to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. Such procurement mode was employed considering that Bombardier is the proprietary source of MRT-3's Cityflo 250 signaling system, and given the immediate need to restore MRT-3's reliability and availability, which is a vital public service and infrastructure facility.

The MOU comes after the system’s previous maintenance service providers failed to purchase and maintain a sufficient inventory of OEM signaling spare parts; purchased and installed non-OEM parts; and failed to adequately maintain, renew, and upgrade MRT-3’s signaling system.

“For years, among the top 3 most frequent causes of MRT-3 breakdowns are signaling-related issues. For years, non-OEM signaling spare parts were used and installed, in an effort to save on costs and increase profit at the expense of MRT-3's safety and reliability. For years, MRT-3's signaling system was not maintained properly, and was not upgraded when due. That is why this time, we want to be sure that we get the right spare parts and that we maintain the system right. Bombardier‘s track record is exceptional. They are the original manufacturer of MRT-3's signaling system, and we are directly dealing with Bombardier, not a JV, not a consortium, not any middleman,” said Tugade.

The signing was also witnessed by DOTr Undersecretary for Railways TJ Batan and DOTr Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Procurement Reinier Paul Yebra.

Kim Chiu in Araneta Center’s Hugot Night and Other V-Day Treats

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Chinita Princess Kim Chiu will join the so-called sawi population as they celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Araneta Center on Feb. 14. Hugot Night, Araneta Center’s Valentine special for singles with hugot from failed relationships, will be a night loaded with fun-filled activities.

Kim Chiu is expected to perform and share her words of wisdom for the sawi at the Hugot Night. The singer-actress will be also joined by stand-up comedienne Donna Cariaga, indie folk-pop artist Alex Corner, and spoken word artist Maimai Cantillano. The event will take place at the Gateway Mall activity area on February 14, starting 6 PM. Hugot Night is part of Araneta Center’s week-long Valentine and Chinese New Year celebration titled “Feels X Fortune,” happening from February 11 to 18 in all Araneta Center malls (Gateway, Ali Mall, and New Farmers Plaza). Aside from the Hugot Night, Araneta Center will also be holding its Chinese New Year special for the heartbroken called An Afternoon of Feels and Fortune (February 16, 1-4 PM at the Gateway Mall activity area). Hosted by comedian Stanley Chi, the event will feature talks on attracting one’s soulmate by the country’s leading tarot card reader Rob Rubin, and moving on by internet action star Ramon Bautista. Other highlights of “Feels X Fortune” include EX-Hibit: The Araneta Center Heartbreak Museum, Letters of Letting Go, Feels Forecast, outdoor movie screenings, and free Tarot Card reading by Mysterium Philippines. New mobile app PIIP, which lets users discover latest promos and real-time flash sales, will also be giving away free Dairy Queen Dip Cone and Dilly Bar with matching roses and balloons on Feb. 14  through its “Treats for your Sweet” promo. To register for the promo, simply download PIIP using a smartphone and sign up from Feb. 9 to 13. Locate a participating Dairy Queen outlet near you, PIIP the promo, and wait to be notified to claim your free Valentine’s Day treat on February 14, 2018 at PIIP booths in participating DQ outlets, three of which are located in Araneta Center, namely Ali Mall, Cyberpark 1, and Gateway Food Express. So come and celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Araneta Center because being single never felt this lucky! For more information and other Araneta Center updates, follow @TheAranetaCenter on Facebook.