BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city government is pursuing ISO 37001 certification to firm up its anti-bribery system and strengthen integrity, transparency and accountability in government.

He said, the initiative is supported by £1 million in technical assistance from the British government.

The ISO 37001 is the international standard for establishing, implementing, monitoring and improving an anti-bribery management system that ensures the following: controls to prevent and detect bribery; awareness and reporting mechanisms for staff; reduce risk in procurement, finance and administrative processes; and strengthen integrity and accountability mechanisms.

“In simple terms, we are putting stronger safeguards in place to protect public funds, keep government transactions transparent and organized and hold those responsible accountable,” Magalong said.

A roadmap toward ISO 37001 certification was turned over to the city last month, he said. “ It is one of the institutional systems being enhanced to ensure that reforms and improvements in governance are put in place.”

Last February, Magalong created the city’s ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) Technical Working Group (TWG) through Executive Order No. 14 series of 2026.

The ISO 37001 ABMS TWG will serve as the central coordinating body for planning, implementation and monitoring of ABMS initiatives.

City Administrator Vittorio Jerico Cawis acts as the team leader with City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Engr. Charles Bryan Carame as assistant team leader. The TWG members are the City Building Official Arch. Johnny Degay, City Planning Officer Arch. Donna R. Tabangin, City Engineer Richard Benjamin Lardizabal, City Environment and Parks Management officer Atty. Rhenan Diwas, City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Soraya Faculo, City Budget officer Atty. Leticia Clemente, City Human Resource Management Officer Atty. Agustin Laban III, Assistant City Accountant Pedro Sawac, City Treasurer Alex Cabarrubias, Geraldine Angolo, Mary Grace Palicdon and Atty. Cherrybeth Batuna.

Among the duties and responsibilities of the TWG are to lead the development and implementation of the city’s ABMS; coordinate with CoST and other technical partners; facilitate assessments, interviews, verifications and capacity building sessions; recommend policies and controls aligned with ISO 37001; review procurement, financial and administrative processes for alignment; monitor compliance and progress of ABMS implementation; prepare documentation and evidence for audits; provide regular updates to the City Mayor; provide technical inputs and procurement and financial documents; participate in interviews and assessments; implement process improvements aligned with ISO 37001 and assist in risk identification and mitigation.

Meanwhile, the city government is bent on maintaining its status as an ISO 9001:2015 passer to ensure that its processes and services continue to meet the standards of Quality Management System (QMS).

Magalong said the city remains committed to providing efficient governance, transparency and improved delivery of services to the public.

The QMS is one of the institutional systems being pursued by the city to ensure that reforms and improvements in governance continue beyond political administrations, according to the mayor.

“We adopted QMS like the 9001:2015 not just to comply but to create a culture of excellence, consistency, outstanding performance and continuous improvement in everything that we do,” the mayor said.

The ISO 9001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for QMS where organizations use the standard to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

The city successfully passed its ISO 9001:2015 recertification audit conducted by auditor SGS Philippines in March after undergoing a five-day audit covering its departments and services.

The recertification meant that the systems and processes of the city continue to meet international standards, according to the mayor.

The auditing firm affirmed that the city government’s processes and services continue to meet the standards of Quality Management System (QMS) and sustained its dedication to quality service, she said.

Roger Villanueva, SGS Philippines Director for Business Assurance, pointed out that the recertification reflects on Baguio City’s excellence in governance, discipline and execution and its firm commitment to quality public service.

The city’s quest for the ISO certification started in 2021 when it was selected as a Government Quality Management Program (GQMP) beneficiary by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with DAP for its technical assistance for the establishment of a QMS certifiable status eligible to ISO 9001:2015 standard.

The following year, the city passed the Stage 2 certification audit by accredited third-party auditing firm TUV North Philippines on Dec. 26, 2022.

In 2023, the city passed the first surveillance audit and was awarded its first certification. ( Aileen P. Refuerzo)