Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales | September 12, 2025 – The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), in partnership with SGS Philippines, Inc., has concluded a five-day capacity-building training on ISO/IEC 17020:2012 Conformity Assessment and Effective Inspection Practices.
The training, held from September 8–12, 2025, gathered around 50 participants, including members of the FPA Management Committee and technical staff from the FPA Central Office and Regional Field Units (RFUs) who are involved in the conduct of field inspection activities. The activity aimed to strengthen the agency’s inspection and monitoring capabilities, particularly in ensuring impartiality, consistency, and alignment with international standards.
Raising the bar for inspections
In his welcome remarks, Executive Director Estrada highlighted that inspections are at the heart of FPA’s regulatory powers.
“Inspection is more than just checking boxes – it’s about building trust, ensuring safety, and upholding the standards that our Agency and our clients expect from us. By aligning our inspection practices with internationally recognized standards, we not only improve our internal processes but also demonstrate our commitment to excellence and accountability,” Dir. Estrada said.
The sessions covered key ISO 17020 requirements, including competence of inspection bodies, impartiality, and consistency of inspection results. Practical components such as assessment activities and mock inspections reinforced participants’ skills in applying international best practices to real-world regulatory scenarios.
The program commenced with an awareness session on ISO/IEC 17020:2012, followed by a discussion and workshop on Risk-Based Inspection of Fertilizers and Pesticides. The participants also had an actual field inspection using the inspection form developed from the workshop. A lecture on the qualities of effective inspectors was also tackled before a final exam was administered.
Building a pool of inspectors
One of the key goals of the training was to develop a pool of FPA inspectors coming from different divisions and units of the agency. This pool will serve as a ready roster of trained personnel who can be deployed to conduct field inspections, complementing the regular inspection staff from regulatory divisions and the RFUs.
By expanding inspection capacity, FPA ensures that its monitoring and enforcement activities are not only consistent nationwide but also more responsive to the growing demands of the agri-input industry.
“Through this training, our inspectors are better equipped to deliver consistent, high-quality service, strengthen compliance to our policies, and contribute to the success of the agricultural industry through comprehensive and sound regulations,” Estrada added.
The event was organized by the Fertilizer Regulations Division (FRD), with support from the Finance and Administrative Division (FAD), the FPA-Fertilizer and Pesticide Application Using Remotely Piloted Aircraft Control Committee (FPA-RPACC), and the FPA Regional Field Unit III. SGS Philippines provided technical expertise in both lectures and field demonstrations.
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Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Online ISSN: 2815-1674
Published by the FPA Information and Communications Team