TINGOG Party-list, led by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Rep. Jude Acidre unveiled the newly modernized Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory (RSTL) over the weekend as part of its commitment to bring quality government services closer to Filipinos.
The state-of-the-art facility, funded with P42 million from Tingog, is an important milestone in Leyte’s pursuit of quality assurance, aimed at improving services throughout Eastern Visayas.
“The unveiling of our modernized RSTL marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards excellence. This state-of-the-art facility is not just an achievement for Tingog Party-list, but a beacon of progress and innovation for all of Eastern Visayas,” said Rep. Acidre. “This project is a testament to Tingog’s commitment to an inclusive social development, underscoring the importance of empowerment of regional offices to make services more accessible to Filipinos as part of our Bagong Pilipinas.”
The RSTL has three laboratories catering to different services composed of qualified professionals: Microbiology Laboratory, Metrology and Calibration Laboratory, and Physico-Chemical Laboratory.
The new Microbiology Laboratory is for the testing of water, wastewater, and food/food products. It is accredited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is in partnership with Primewater and the Eastern Visayas Medical Center.
While the Metrology and Calibration Laboratory remains to be the major volumetric and mass calibration services provider in the region. This laboratory provides on-site testing calibration services upon request of different agencies across Region 8. It offers small volume, big volume, mass pressure, thermometry, and length calibrations.
Lastly, the Physico-Chemical Laboratory offers analytical tests of water, wastewater, and food/food products. It is in compliance with the Chemistry Profession Act; thus, registered chemists and chemical technicians compose the laboratory.
The laboratory obtained Certificate of Authority to Operate a Chemical Laboratory from the Professional Regulation Commission this year.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 8 – RSTL is an accredited member laboratory of the One-stop Laboratory Services for Global Competitiveness (OneLab).
OneLab is part of DOST’s initiatives to harmonize, collaborate, and interface among laboratories in the Philippines. It is a network of laboratories integrated via an IT platform, offering a referral system for testing and calibration services through a single touch point. This system provides customers with convenient and easy access to a comprehensive range of laboratory testing and calibration services.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by Acidre on behalf of Tingog Partylist, officer in charge of the Office of the Regional Director DOST Region 8 Dr. John Glenn Ocaña, DOST Undersecretary for Special Concerns Dr. Teodoro Gatchalian, Assistant Regional Director for Technical Operations Marilyn Radam.
The Region 8 RSTL was established in 1998 to provide testing and calibration services to industries, researchers, students and other customers.
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