The Philippines has earned a voting seat in the 5-member Executive Committee of the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC) despite being a newcomer to data privacy regulation.
According to a recent report, the ICDPPC is the world premier body on data protection and privacy.
It is a worldwide conference of 119 independent regulators from all over the world, who come together and explore high-level proposals on data privacy and protection.
It was the Commissioner of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) who has led the active involvement of the Philippines in the conference for the last two years.
He has drawn attention to the efforts of the country in stepping up to global data protection standards with a uniquely Asian approach to regulation.
The Commission is honoured to represent the country at the ICDPPC, particularly in a leadership capacity.
This is an acknowledgment to both the hard work of the Commission and the commitment that the Philippines has in upholding data protection.
Five elected members compose the Executive Committee of the Conference. They hold a term of two years.
Among the current members are privacy authorities of Australia, Canada, Burkina Faso, and the United Kingdom, which also holds the chairmanship.
The conference has two more additional members in Albania and Mexico, which are also the next hosting authorities.
The 2018 Conference has attracted more than 1200 delegates all over the world.
The country is truly privileged to be given a seat at the committee’s table and take part in addressing the challenges that privacy regulators face.
This is an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences. Although the Philippines may be young, it definitely has a lot to contribute especially in assisting new members.
The election of NPC into the committee is timely as the call for a new world order for governing data is gaining traction on a global scale.
The present situation is a crisis of trust being fuelled by unauthorised profiling, surveillance and increasing cases of personal data breaches.
This should push them to take a different tact and integrate ethics in the way personal data is processed.
Part of the Commission’s responsibility as a committee member is to take part in setting the agenda of the Conference and defining its strategic direction for the next two years.
Bringing the Philippines into its fold portrays the Executive Committee as having geographical diversification.
The National Privacy Commission first became an ICDPPC member in October 2016 after submitting membership requirements and demonstrating its commitment to global standards in protecting personal data and privacy in the Philippines.
At that time, the NPC was only several months old, having been formed only in March of that same year.
Since then, it has steadily advocated for the Philippines as well as being the Asian regional voice to resonate in the global forum.
Some of the resolutions that the Philippines has co-authored on include artificial intelligence (AI), e-learning, conference census, and the future of the Conference.
Moreover, it is sitting in the working group for cross-border privacy law enforcement. The Philippines has always been cited for its creative approaches and constructive stakeholder engagement.
