In a commencement exercise held via video conferencing on October 27, four (4) Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) employees have completed the Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Assessors Preparatory Course (APC), a pathway to becoming members of the PQA Pool of Assessors.

Dr. Marianne Agnes Mendoza, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Extension Services (RIES); Mr. Ralph Arvic Arcenal, University & Board Secretary; Ms. Jenny Genoguin, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Chief-of-Staff; and Mr. Joedel Penaranda, Director for Institutional Planning, have officially graduated from the course after completing the five (5) days of synchronous and asynchronous e-learning and 11 pre-work modules.

In a partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry-Competitiveness Bureau (DTI-CB) and the Philippine Quality Award Foundation, Inc., the program aims to constitute a team of experts who can evaluate organizations that are qualified for the Award and serve as representatives for the PQA Program. The criteria used in the selection of assessors include breadth and depth of experience, diversity of expertise, demeanor and work ethics, leadership and external representation, and knowledge of business, specialized areas, and practices and improvement strategies leading to performance excellence.

Additionally, Mr. Penaranda also received the "Most Collaborative Award," one of the four special awards given during the graduation day.

Engr. Angelica C. Fraginal, Managing Director and Senior Consultant ACF Consultancy, and Training Services facilitated the training to the batch 4 graduates of the preparatory course.

The PQA is a national program that caters to an integrated approach for performance management that sets organizational excellence based on the US Baldrige Performance Excellence.