HISTORY

The PQA is the centerpiece program of the National Action Agenda for Productivity (NAAP),
the blueprint for the country's integrated approach to improve economy-wide productivity during
the term of former President Fidel V. Ramos in response to the growing challenges of
globalization. It was created through Executive Order 448 on October 3, 1997 and on February
28, 2001 it was institutionalized through the signing of Republic Act 9013, also known as the
Philippine Quality Award Act (See Implementing Rules and Regulations). The PQA sets a
standard of excellence to help Filipino organizations achieve world-class performance and
serves as a "template" for competitiveness based on the principles of Total Quality Management
(TQM). It is a national quality award comparable with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
Award (MBNQA) of the US and those in Europe and Asia.