DTI Kalinga bags national ‘Seal of Excellence Award’

By Geraldine G. Dumallig

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The year 2012 was one of the most successful years for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Kalinga as it reaped not one but two national awards for its excellent performance. 

DTI Kalinga was recently conferred the Citizen’s Satisfaction Center Seal of Excellence Award of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) besting 27 contending agencies nationwide for the prestigious award. 

DTI Kalinga garnered a 95.35 percent or an adjectival rating of "excellent" in the Anti-Red Tape Act Report Card Survey conducted by the CSC in 2012. It was the only awardee for said CSC national recognition in the Cordillera region. 

The agency’s success could be attributed to the innovations adopted to effectively comply with the Anti–Red Tape Act (ARTA) provisions especially in the delivery of its front line services, said DTI Kalinga Director Grace Baluyan who was earlier named as "2012 DTI Best Manager" national award for the Line/Operations Unit Category. 

“It helped a lot that as an International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-Certified Agency, we have a built-in quality management system where our services are assessed by every client. Any problems or issues we see from the feedback evaluation are immediately addressed which helped us to make better our services,” she said. 

The ISO certification is proof that effective quality management systems have been set up and are being implemented and consistently followed in the agency’s delivery of government services that is recognized worldwide. 

“We are very particular of our services timeline. We make it a point that within the first five minutes we already know our client’s needs and endorsed to the proper department in the office,” she said. 

She said that while clients are waiting, they must already be given forms with very clear instructions to follow to facilitate the delivery of their needed services. 

It helps to anticipate our clients’ needs and what would satisfy them. And in case the concerned staff is absent, we see to it that there would always be an alternate staff to attend to the clients, she said. 

According to Baluyan, evaluators have also noticed the “hotel- like welcome” of DTI personnel once a client enters the office. This she said is practiced to immediately make the client feel welcome. 

“We always look on the transaction cost. We always note our client’s time coming to our office would not be wasted since every delay could be an income lost for their business while transacting with us,” she said. 

Another advantage of the office she said is its location at business center of Tabuk City which makes it very much accessible to its clients. 

DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo conferred the 2012 DTI Best Manager national award for the Line/Operations Unit Category award to Baluyan last December 10 in Manila. This is the recognition of the agency’s System on Performance Rewards and Incentives (Sprints). 

Baluyan also represents the region in the national Search for Gawad CES (Career Executive Service) Award 2012 which recognizes members of the Career Executive Service for exemplary performance and significant contributions particularly in areas of innovation, information and communication technology, social services, administrative reforms and public policy. 

This is open to all Career Executive Service Officers and third level eligible (CESEs/CSEEs) appointed to CES positions. -- PIA