CALAMBA CITY, Laguna — Unlike the real love story in time for Valentine’s Day this month, this “lab” story did not start with courtship. It started as a dream.

The late Prof. Hipolito Arcaido, then regional director of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for Calabarzon region, and former Batangas Governor-now- Congressman Hermilando Mandanas thought this dream was far-reaching to serve the region comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

Broaching the idea that later spoke volumes literally, Prof. Arcaido mobilized his science research specialists, engineers and technology personnel, to show that an oil and gas laboratory was doable.

Emelita Bagsit, officer-in-charge of the DOST regional office, narrated that the lab’s inception experienced “birth pains.” A simple project proposal hatched in 2001 paved the way for the establishment of a regional volumetric calibration laboratory (RVCL).

Lyn Aggangan, science research specialist at the Batangas Provincial Science and Technology (S&T) Center, noted that the project aims to provide volumetric calibration services in response to the growing number of oil and gas refineries and industries in the province.

The DOST calibration services later expanded to the neighboring provinces in Calabarzon, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, and significantly Palawan as the government and private sector’s quest for the “black gold” has intensified.

Other than the demand-driven science and technology-based objectives, the DOST project saw the need for the Calabarzon local government units (LGUs) to monitor and evaluate the accuracy of measuring volumes of petroleum products in the region’s pumping stations.

It goes back nine years ago when the P 2.8-million facilities of the regional volumetric calibration laboratory were inaugurated at the Provincial S&T Center in Barangay Kumintang Ilaya, Batangas City, marking the DOST anniversary celebration in November 2003.

The volumetric laboratory brought forth its support to the government’s implementation of the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1996 (Republic Act No. 8180) and Executive Order 377 that mandated the department to prescribe calibration and verification intervals of all measuring instruments used in petroleum products.

The road to measuring volumes of oil and gas was never easy. With eight service calibration units for the start-up operations in 2003, the DOST regional laboratory only hit a measly income of P6,000.

Simultaneous with the normal and routine laboratory work, the volumetric services soon coped with quality and competence to serve the region that ushers in industries and business developments by leaps and bounds.

So, in one of the Calabarzon regional agency’s brainstorming sessions in 2010, the DOST new regional director, Dr. Alexander Madrigal, set forth directions for accreditation to achieve quality and competent services of the RVCL.

As the volumetric “dream lab” began operations, Bagsit admitted that the DOST aspirations and persistence of Dr. Madrigal ushered in a “nightmare for the regional S&T officers and staff” to achieve the much sought after attainment for quality and competence.

Armed with its wealth of experience and strings of achievement, the DOST regional office has pursued one distinction after another.

As a regional science and technology agency, getting a nod for the prestigious ISO certification is no mean feat. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is composed of an international pool of experts that set world standards for technology.

The ISO assigns each standard a unique number where the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 assesses technical quality and competency of laboratories. The commonly-known ISO 9000 certification recognizes conformity to the standard quality system for office procedures.

Among these are the Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory in Los Baños that achieved the ISO/IEC 17205 in December 2005. The international standard accreditation for the testing lab was bestowed for its micro-biological and chemical testing for fruits, vegetables and nuts, as well as sun dried fruits, spices, condiments and food supplements.

In March 2008, the DOST Calabarzon regional office was awarded the ISO 9001: 2000 certification for its activities that provided scientific and technology transfer services, science promotion, S&T information dissemination and S&T scholarships.

The DOST’s Cavite Wastewater Testing Laboratory in Trece Martires City also received the ISO/17205 in July 2008 for its micro-biological testing of potable and non-potable waters requiring specific tests such as aerobic plate count and coliform count.

Getting this world-class distinction goes through an external audit by the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO). And in the case of the RVCL, the DOST science research specialist disclosed that the auditors have checked “If we are capable and competent to sign the calibration certificate that we issue to our clients or customers.”

DOST officials and staff also revealed that while it took them three months to conform to international standards, others seeking accreditation took years before they were declared to be compliant.

In the case of the volumetric laboratory, Aggangan said “quality policy is committed to provide our customers with timely and accurate calibration data in accordance with mutually agreed terms and conditions.”

The calibration lab has now served more than 2,000 customers.

The clientele covers an array of vehicle tanks and trailer trucks with capacities of 40,000 liters, proving tanks with capacities from 100 to 2,000 liters and from 250 to 4,000 liters and the 10 to 20-liter calibrating buckets.

And the lab’s measly P6,000 initial income in 2003 has grown to P2.5 million in services fees and collection charges in a span of nine years.

By December 16, last year, DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Carol Yorobe broke the good news for the ISO/IEC 17205 recognition as she commended Felina Malabanan, RCVL quality manager and director of the Batangas Provincial S&T Center, and the men and women behind this feat in simple rites in her office.

Batangas Governor Vilma Santos Recto also expressed her congratulatory message for the big achievement to the S&T volumetric lab in the province during the formal presentation of the award three days ago at the Los Baños-based DOST regional center.

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo also relayed his personal commendation to the regional and provincial S&T officials for the ISO achievement and expressed his extreme pride as the certificate was handed by the PAO.

The distinction assures and guarantees RCVL’s customers and clients that the calibration lab tests use quality-validated and accurate equipment performed by proficient personnel.

Now, the DOST Calabarzon regional office relishes yet another lab’s story of triumph and pioneering feat as the first big volume calibration laboratory in the country to have been awarded the ISO distinction. (PNA)

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