The UP Diliman (UPD) Quality Assurance Office (QAO) began its two-day 2025 Quality Assurance General Assembly (QA General Assembly) last March 3 at the Bulwagang Tandang Sora, UPD College of Social Work and Community Development.
This activity aims to get feedback from and consult with various QA stakeholders and share QAO’s activities with them. The University’s academic and administrative unit heads, QA officers, ISO facilitators, and performance-based monitoring system [PBMS] administrators and encoders are among the stakeholders identified.
The first day of the QA General Assembly focused on QA-related matters of the UPD administrative units. Tackled were the PBMS, Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR), Program Expenditure Classification (PREXC), and ISO 21001-2018 application.
Evangeline C. Amor, PhD, acknowledged the expertise of UPD units in planning and implementation but admitted that UPD lacks in monitoring its activities. Amor is faculty-in-charge of the UPD Performance Monitoring Team (PMT) and a member of the QA Committee of UPD.
“Mayroon tayong pinaplano, ginagawa natin, pero hindi na natin nababalikan. Bakit ba natin iyon pinlano? Para saan ba iyon? Tapos kapag ginawa natin, nagawa ba natin iyong gusto nating gawin? Meron pa bang kulang? Ano pa iyong puwede nating gawin para maging mas maigi pa, mas mabuti pa?” Amor said.
She said the University has operational excellence in its administrative endeavors and academic excellence in its academic programs. What UPD should do is to be consistent in that the quality mindset, “paano pa natin mas mapapabuti at mapapaayos ng sistema natin,” Amor added.
Virgilio D. Llenaresas, chief of the UP System Budget Office (SBO) Planning Services Division, discussed the PREXC.
The PREXC is how units outline their budget to accomplish their objectives and execute their programs as a response to government programs and strategies.
Llenaresas explained it is used “to allow the monitoring of operational performance through performance indicators, which may relate to the inputs, outputs, or outcomes of a particular program providing a way to assess the success of the program and make adjustments during implementation if necessary.”
He showed that these performance indicators are also stated in the OPCR, constituent unit PCR, agency PCR, Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS), and Philippine Development Plan. Llenaresas also explained that these indicators are also included in the Public Financial Management, Performance-Informed Budgeting, and PREXC.
For his part, Rogelio T. Estrada Jr. spoke about the alignment of the OPCR and PMT. He is the chief of the UPD Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) Planning and Research Division.
He explained that the OPCR is required because “it shows the alignment of office performance targets with the University’s mission, vision, goals, and strategic priorities as mandated by RA 9500.” He added that it reflects “the alignment of individual performance targets with office goals and priorities.”
“There is a need to consolidate OPCR submitted by various offices [colleges/units] and submit the same to the OVPPF [UP Office of the Vice President for Planning and Finance],” Estrada said.
Llenaresas and Estrada were joined by SBO staff Maria Tracy Tusi and HRDO staff Hazzelyn Joy de Ocampo at the event’s open forum.
Meanwhile, QAO Director Aura C. Matias talked about UPD’s application for ISO 21001-2018 certification. Matias explained that because of the volume of tasks and documents preparation, there is a need to adjust the schedule of activities.
“Magi-extend ng isang quarter ang buong application process. Mula 4Q ng 2025 ay mamo-move sa 1Q ng 2026,” she said. “QA is a journey, [there is] no need to rush. UPD offices must ensure quality of all services, and that our main clientele, the students, are being offered the best quality experience, consistently. That is the challenge,” Matias added.
In her closing remarks, UPD Vice Chancellor for Administration Adeline A. Pacia said UPD must prepare for the ISO-certification the same way it prepared for the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Report Card Survey (RCS) 2.0 Survey.
“Let our battle cry be ‘Go for Gold!’ as we have won silver twice in the ARTA-RCS. May we all be infected by the quality bug,” Pacia said.
Day 2 of the QA General Assembly intended for QA-related officials and staff from the academic units will be held on March 10 at the same venue.
