Regional gathering for future of democracy in Asia kicks off
MANILA--- Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen and Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo unite for a series of virtual events to defend democracy in Asia. The two women leaders spearhead the set of speakers addressing the 13th Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) General Assembly, which started yest er d ay.
With the theme, “Hope Among Us: A Virtual Gathering for the Future of Democracy”, the series assembles Liberals and Democrats from Asia and from around the world on 2327 November to analyze the main challenges for democracies after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to come up with policy recommendations on the way forward.
Citing the research done by US-based Brookings Institution, CALD identified five main challenges for democracies after the coronavirus: 1) protecting the safety and integrity of elections; 2) finding the right place for expertise; 3) coping with resurgent populism and nationalism; 4) countering homegrown and foreign disinformation; and 5) defending the democratic model.
“In Taiwan, we call our cooperative efforts to combat the COVID19 pandemic the ‘Taiwan Model’, said President Tsai in her keynote address. “We also have a Taiwan Model in combating disinformation.
That is -- a strong, confident democracy, combined with informed citizenry, is its best defense.
The Taiwan experience is also a demonstration that democratic values are critical in this important fight against authoritarian forces.”
On Friday, November 27, Vice President Robredo will address the challenge of how liberal democracy can be defended in light of new challenges brought about by the pandemic. Apart from
Robredo, the other speakers in the weeklong events include CALD Chairperson and Philippine Senator, Kiko Pangilinan; former Thailand Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva; Hong Kong democracy activist, Emily Lau; and former Philippine Secretary of Budget and Management, Butch Abad.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated democratic recession as many people in the world have lost jobs and reduced incomes, and are threatened by the health crisis”, says Senator Pangilinan, CALD Chairperson. “It is for this reason that the virtual events marking the 13th CALD General Assembly come like a refreshing breeze of democracy at a time when breathing literally and figuratively has become difficult.”
The schedule of the 13th CALD General Assembly virtual events is available on the CALD Facebook Page ( @asi anl i ber al s) .
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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---State pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) maintained the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certification of its major processes after the remote surveillance audit last November 4.
TÜV Rheinland Philippines Inc. (TUV-R), one of the leading thirdparty ISO certifying bodies in the country, recommended the ISO recertification of the following major GSIS processes immediately following the whole-day remote audit: loans, membership administration, maturity claims, funeral benefit claims, motor vehicle claim, data center facilities management, and marketing of non-life insurance.
It was the first ever virtual ISO audit conducted in GSIS since the pension fund’s bid for ISO certification in 2015.
“Managing to sustain an ISO certification in the face of a lifechanging pandemic is a remarkable achievement. And doing it consistently for six years is no longer a mere act but a way of life. This means that through the years, the men and women of GSIShavemaintainedworldclass service and professionalism despite the difficulties and uncertainties of the times. I am truly proud of the GSIS Team’s unwavering commitment and dedication, GSISPresidentand General manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said.
GSIS initially obtained its first ISO certification in 2015 when the certifying body conferred the ISO 9001:2008forthepension fund’s quality management system (QMS) on loans processing. In 2016, GSIS gained ISO recertification for its loans processing system under the updated version, ISO 9001:2015.
On the same year, the scope of certification was expanded to include membership administration. The two processes were recertified in 2017 when maturity claims and motor vehicle claims processing were included for the first time.
By 2018, all four processes, plus the data center facilities management, have been certified. Funeralbenefitandmarketing of non-life insurance were the latest processes to be ISO-certified in 2019.
“We assure our members and pensioners that we will cultivate the culture of excellence that we have nourished for several years and use it to adapt to the future challenges ahead with their welfare as our key priority ,” Macasaet said.