Contributed by Carissa Caraig, AFAB

 MARIVELES, Bataan – Just six years after it started its operations, the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) has already established its management systems, assuring the registered locators, potential investors and key stakeholders of the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) that it will address all their requirements for their operations.

Today, the AFAB renders the best and fastest registration services, improved import-export processes and high-end and quality labor services. This is proven with the recent awarding of the ISO Certification 9001:2015 to the Authority for the provision of management and administrative services related to registration, import-export, and workforce control processes for the FAB.

ISO 9001:2015 certification is an international standard that provides the foundation for quality management systems. It also offers the best framework that integrates established fundamental concepts, principles, processes, and resources to help organizations realize their objectives.

“The ISO certification of the AFAB management systems proved the tireless effort of the employees of the Authority to give the best services to our locators. We are proud to say that we are now more competitive,” AFAB Chairman and Administrator Emmanuel D. Pineda said.

“The Authority’s success also reflects the untiring support of the FAB locators to our Administration,” he stressed.

“We at the AFAB are confident that we can offer the most reliable services to our stakeholders. We will strive to continuously improve our services to support the operations of the FAB locators,” the chairman added.

The AFAB’s ISO management system certification and audit was conducted by TUV Rheinland, a leading provider of technical services worldwide which uses new ideas, expertise and a strong global network to contribute to the further development of products, services, systems and people and make them more competitive.

“The AFAB is now preparing for the certification of other services in the freeport,” Chairman Pineda said.

The FAB is the emerging fashion manufacturing hub of the Philippines, as it possesses a budding cluster of companies producing high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories, like bags, jewelries, among others. Its vision is to be the Freeport of choice in the country by 2020, becoming a center of trade, innovation and sustainable development in Asia

and promoting work-life balance, global competitiveness and environmental protection.