Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Competitive Development and the Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Team, conducted a training on Integrated Assessors’ Preparatory and Application Development at the International Convention Center at Bacnotan, La Union from April 6 to 9, 2025.
The four-day capability-building training-workshop was participated in by faculty members, administrative personnel, and key officials from across the University to deepen their understanding of the PQA framework—widely recognized as the highest level of national recognition for organizational excellence in the Philippines.
On April 6, the participants were required to accomplish pre-training tasks online. The first day of the formal training commenced with the arrival of participants, followed by a series of introductory activities, including registration, a rundown of house rules, and an expectation-setting session. Carolina R. Velasco, PQA Team Lead, provided an overview of the PQA framework, while PQA Mentor Joel C. Amante guided the participants through the PQA application development process and the preparation of organizational profiles.
Over the course of the training, participants engaged in in-depth lectures and hands-on workshops covering each of the seven PQA categories: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce; operations; and results.
On Day 2, Mr. Joel C. Amante delivered comprehensive sessions on aligning organizational profiles with PQA criteria and understanding key performance evaluation frameworks such as ADLI (Approach, Deployment, Learning, Integration) and LeTCI (Levels, Trends, Comparisons, and Integration). The day concluded with lectures on comment writing and group discussions on workshop assignments.
Day 3 of the formal training was dedicated to detailed category-by-category workshops and results analysis. Participants further engaged in structured sessions, including lectures, group workshops, independent reviews, and plenary presentations. These sessions were designed to ensure collaborative learning and a deep understanding of how to evaluate and develop quality assurance systems.
Mr. Amante also discussed workforce and operational performance, followed by a session on writing effective application documents. The event culminated in an organizational briefing and the awarding of certificates to the participants.
The training aligns with DMMMSU’s strategic goal to enhance institutional performance and service delivery through quality assurance and process optimization. It also supports national efforts to embed the principles of excellence and innovation in public and private institutions.
“The PQA training is a major step forward in DMMMSU’s commitment to quality and excellence,” President Dr. Jaime I. Manuel Jr., said in a short interview. (By Ayu)
