Filipino companies, especially those engaged in food and information technology (IT) businesses, can avail of one-stop laboratory services to boost product development and achieve quality assurance for their products.

Admer Rey Dablio, Senior Science Research Specialist at the Standards and Testing Division of the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), cited the benefits of availing DOST’s One-stop Laboratory Services for Global Competitiveness (OneLab) system.

“For example, you are an exporter. You want to export your product to the US (United States). Then the US has technical barriers to trade. It will look for the result of the quality of your product. If it is not tested by an accredited laboratory, it will test (the product) again and then the exporter will shoulder the cost,” he said.

The OneLab is a network of laboratories anchored on an IT platform to provide a referral system for testing and calibration services at a single touch point.

Its services include chemical testing, calibration, clinical testing, radiological testing, physical testing, microbiological testing, biological testing, and Halal testing.

Dablio noted that member laboratories of OneLab network are ISO-accredited ones.

“The mantra of the ISO is, once tested, accepted everywhere. Let’s say it is tested in our laboratory in Cagayan de Oro, it can be accepted anywhere in the world where we have mutual recognition agreement,” he added.

Dablio advised companies to determine first their requirement before going at nearest DOST’s OneLab network.

To avail of OneLab services, they can visit web.onelab.ph or the laboratory nearest them and fill out the request form.

They have to bring sample to the nearest laboratory, and later receive the test results via courier, fax, email or pick up.