Metro Kidapawan City Water District (MKWD) has successfully completed its two stages of ISO certification audit and is recommended for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification. This government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) provides adequate, safe, potable and affordable water for Kidapawan City, Makilala, Magpet and Matalam areas, in the province of Cotabato.
AGF Consulting Group, a leading ISO consulting, training and assessment firm in the Philippines, has worked side by side with MKCD though planning, documentation, implementation, audit and improvement phases of the ISO certification project. AGF Consulting Group is the trusted ISO advisers, consultants and trainers of some of the leading GOCCs and government line agencies in the Philippines.
Through Republic Act 1316, an amount of P 1.2 million was appropriated to finance the construction of waterworks system in Kidapawan and Makilala under the defunct NAWASA. Its construction started in 1956 and its operation in 1958. This was under the management of the Municipality of Kidapawan. In 1975, the water system was transferred to the Provincial Government of Cotabato.
When Presidential Decree 198 that is commonly known as the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973 was enacted, the Provincial Leadership of North Cotabato, then under Governor Carlos B. Cajelo thought of creating a Water District. This is because the existing NAWASA does not meet the need of the community it serves.
Water quality is unsatisfactory, pressure is inadequate and reliability of service is poor. In fact, many persons received no piped water service. Conditions of service continue to worsen because the existing water system were deteriorating faster than they are maintained or replaced and the system was not being expanded at a rate sufficient to match population growth.
The Sanguniang Panlalawigan of North Cotabato then, through the initiative and effort of the former Carlos B. Cajelo, passed Resolution No. 122, series of 1976, forming the North Cotabato Water District on December 14, 1976. The municipalities included in its formation were Kidapawan, Makilala and Matalam He also appointed the first five Board of Directors of the Water District.
Engr. Jeffrey Pantaleon, Project Delivery team-lead of AGF said, “We commend the management and staff of MKWD for their dedication and focus in attaining this milestone. Truly, the consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of this new accomplishment for MKCD. I wish them more success.”
The ISO 9001:2015 certificate is valid for the next three years. MKWD will have to maintain adequacy, compliance and effectiveness of its newly certified quality management system. The GOCC will also undergo continuous annual surveillance audits in the next three years prior to its recertification. Indeed the challenge now for MKWD is in sustaining the effectiveness of its quality system. With its new found momentum and success in certification, there is nothing that this quality service organisation can’t handle.
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