NEDA Region I (NRO 1) bags the coveted Philippine Quality Award for Commitment to Quality Management for the third time in recognition for its serious commitment for improvement to achieve quality excellence, and for successfully planting the seeds of quality and productivity for long-term benefits. The 1st and 2nd awards were received on February 22, 2005 and January 25, 2007 respectively.

NRO I is among the few organizations from the government sector that were honored in ceremonies held in Malacañang on December 10, 2009 led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. OIC Director-General Augusto B. Santos of NEDA, ARD Nestor G. Rillon and Mr. Gideon Nuesca of NRO I accepted the award for NRO.

"It is inspiring to know that our initiatives in productivity and quality are showing appreciable results. This is a triumph over the challenges of upgrading the quality of products and services in the bureaucracy especially in this trying times," Director Leonardo N. Quitos, Jr. of NRO I said.

The Philippine Quality Award (PQA) is the highest level of national recognition for exemplary organizational performance, this is the country’s counterpart to the prestigious Baldrige National Quality Award of the United States. PQA aims to encourage local companies and organizations to improve quality and productivity for the pride of recognition while obtaining a competitive edge and providing example to others.

In choosing this year’s awardees, PQA used seven criteria: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; information, analysis and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and business results.