Manila – The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), through its Advocacy and Publications Office, hosted an orientation for its employees on the Data Privacy Act of 2012 via Zoom platform conducted last November 15.

The resource speaker for the said subject was Mr. Cleo Martinez, Information Officer II of the National Privacy Commission (NPC). Mr. Martinez welcomed the use of the Zoom platform, as they can still reach their public despite the COVID19 situation in the country.

Mr. Martinez was introduced by Advocacy and Publications Division Chief Mr. Reinerio A. Alba, who is also the Institute’s Data Privacy Officer.

The law protects personal information and the data subjects who own them, including its processing, exchange and handling. Under the law, personal information refers to any information whether recorded in a material form or not, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained by the entity holding the information, or when put together with other information would directly and certainly identify an individual. In the Philippines, it is the NPC that administers and implements the provisions of the Act.

The discussion also flowed into privacy issues that have burgeoned during the continuity of the ongoing pandemic, the prevalent implementation of the alternative work arrangements and risks the are involved in remotely handling data.