Philippines wins voting seat in international data privacy body

MANILA, Philippines — Commissioner Raymund Liboro of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) was elected to a voting seat in the five-member policymaking executive committee of the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC) in its ongoing global summit in Brussels, Belgium.

“It is an honor for the NPC to represent the country at the ICDPPC, especially in a leadership capacity. This is an acknowledgement of the hard work we expend as well as the country’s commitment to data protection,” Liboro said.

As part of the committee, the NPC is expected to take part in setting the agenda of the conference and in defining its strategic direction for the next two years.

The election of Liboro for a seat in the committee comes despite the NPC just starting its operations in 2016.

The vote given to the Philippines showed the international community’s recognition of the country’s efforts to step up to global data protection standards with a uniquely Asian approach to regulation, according to Liboro.

The ICDPPC is a worldwide conference of 119 independent regulators from all over the world, to explore high-level proposals on data privacy and protection. The ICDPPC is considered the world’s premier body on data protection and privacy.

The voting was held on Tuesday during the closed session meeting at the Palais D’ Egmont in Brussels.

The executive committee is composed of five elected members with a term of two years. Current members include the privacy authorities of Australia, Canada, Burkina Faso and the United Kingdom, which holds the chairmanship. The conference has two additional members, comprising the next hosting authorities: Albania and Mexico.

The 2018 Conference has attracted more than 1,200 delegates from all over the world.

“Having a seat at the committee’s table to take part in addressing challenges that privacy regulators face is definitely a privilege for the NPC. It’s an opportunity for learning from each other’s experience. Definitely, the Philippines, although young, has a lot to contribute, too, especially in assisting new members,” Liboro said.

The conference continues to grow, having approved in the recent closed session additional members from Germany, Korea and Argentina; and eleven new authorities with observer status, notably from Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

The NPC’s election comes at a time when the call for a new world order governing data is gaining traction on a global scale.

“What we are seeing today is a crisis of trust that is fueled by unauthorized profiling, surveillance and increasing cases of personal data breaches. It’s a hint for us to take a different tack and integrate ethics in the way we process personal data,” Liboro said.

“I’m very happy that the Philippines is becoming a new member of the executive committee. I think it shows the geographical diversification of this executive committee – the fact that new entities are entering and bringing energy and new ideas to this executive committee. I think it strengthened the International Conference so it’s a very good signal and I’m happy to welcome the Philippine authority in the group,” French Privacy Commissioner and outgoing ICPPPC chair said.

The NPC became an ICDPPC member in October 2016 after passing membership requirements and demonstrating commitment to global standards in protecting personal data and privacy in the Philippines. At the time, the NPC was only several months old, having been formed in March that same year.

Since then, the NPC has steadily advocated for the Philippines and the Asian regional voice to resonate in the global forum.

It has co-authored resolutions on artificial intelligence, e-learning, conference census and the future of the conference. It also has a seat in the working group for cross-border privacy law enforcement.

The Philippines has always been cited for its creative approaches and constructive stakeholder engagement.