Senate passes proposed data privacy act

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has passed on third and final reading the proposed data privacy act, which would mandate both public and private institutions to protect the integrity and confidentiality of all personal data that these may collect throughout its operations.

Senator Edgardo Angara, the principal sponsor of Senate Bill 2965, said that the passage of the measure sends a signal “to the rest of the world just how serious we are in cultivating our IT-driven industries.”

Angara explained that the drafts of the bill were based heavily on Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and Council and is at par with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Information Privacy Framework standards.

Under the bill, a National Privacy Commission would be established to implement and enforce the regulations of the bill.

“Generally, the commission will be mandated to enforce policies that balance the right of the private person to privacy with the need to speed up the utilization of the Internet,” Angara said.

“By establishing such a policy framework, we actually protect Internet freedoms while making sure the web remains safe. In this way, we reduce the risk for true harm to be inflicted and heighten the opportunity for our digital space to be a truly productive and collaborative venue,” he added.

Angara said that he expects more investors in the information technology and business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry in the Philippines once the bill is enacted into law.

He emphasized the vital role of information and communication technology (ICT) and various ICT-enabled to the growth of the Philippine economy.

“You really are the crucial, critical sector of our economy. I am convinced our nation will be able to grow and prop itself up on account of ICT,” Angara said.

The bill lists 10 offenses with corresponding penalties namely unauthorized processing, access due to negligence, improper disposal, wrongful processing, processing for unauthorized processes, unauthorized access, concealment of security breaches, malicious disclosure, unauthorized disclosure and breach of confidentiality.