The Philippine
National Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro encouraged
businesses, government and civil organisations to participate in the upcoming
Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) happening on 28 to 31 May 2018.
The
Commissioner’s message came in the wake of recent privacy issues that plagued
the food service industry in the Philippines. The data breach led to the
exposure of around 82,150 records, including users’ personal data. As a result,
the National Privacy Commission has ordered the company to inform users that
their personal data might have been compromised.
Data privacy
protection in the Philippines is governed by the Data Privacy Act of 2012, which ensures that the Philippines complies with international standards
set for data protection through the National Privacy Commission (NPC). NPC is
tasked to protect the individual personal information and upholds the right to
privacy by regulating the processing of personal information. Under this law,
appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO) is a legal requirement for
Personal Information Controllers (PICs) and Personal Information Processors
(PIPs). Having a DPO is a must since they serve as the focal person protecting
personal data collection and processing.
PAW commemorates
the data privacy rights of people along with all the benefits of data privacy
protection. Participating in PAW is beneficial for organisations that process
personal data since this can boost better customer trust, greater competitive
advantage and stronger protection of company assets.
“There’s no
better time than today to combat the growing threats to the safety of our
personal data. And there’s no better way to do this than as a community, which
is what the PAW activities hope to foster,” Commissioner Liboro emphasised.
This year’s theme,
“Protecting the Filipino’s Right to Data Privacy” will kick-off with the 2-day
summit for DPOs from various sectors all over the country. Around 2,000 DPOs,
from the academe, civil society, top corporations and the government, are
expected to join the event happening at the Philippine International Convention
Centre (PICC) on 28 – 29 May 2018.
The year-long
social awareness campaign called “Privacy, Safety, Security and Trust (PSST!)
Online”, will also be launched by the NPC during the conference. This aims to
equip the Filipinos with adequate information and tools that they can use in
protecting themselves as well as their loved ones from irresponsible treatment
of their personal data when using online applications, mobile services and
desktop services.
PAW is an annual international effort to draw public
attention towards privacy issues and the importance of protecting personal
information. This is the second time that the Philippines will officially
celebrate PAW in solidarity with Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA)
members all over the world.
APPA is a forum for privacy authorities in the
Asia Pacific Region, wherein they are given an opportunity to form
partnerships, discuss best practices and to share information on emerging
technology, trends and changes to privacy regulation. APPA members are
comprised of Australia, British Columbia, Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Republic
of Korea, Macao, Mexico, New South Wales, New Zealand, Northern Territory,
Peru, Queensland, Singapore, Federal Communications Commission – United States,
Federal Trade Commission – United States, and Victoria.
