Robocash Finance Corp., a SEC-licensed company offering short-term consumer lending in the Philippines, attended the certification program for Data Protection Officers (DPOs) on Accountability, Compliance, and Ethics (ACE) held by the National Privacy Commission (NPC) during the 52nd Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) Forum. Conducted on December 2-4, 2019 in Cebu, Philippines, the event also covered discussions on security measures and breach management, as well as best practices in regulatory compliance and initiatives from around the world.
Hosted for the first time in the Philippines, the 52nd edition of the APPA Forum took a closer look at the protection of privacy and data of customers, existing opportunities and challenges arising with growing digitization. As the Philippine Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro mentioned in his opening remarks, efficient data protection would not only support economic growth but also ensure a safe and progressive future for the next generations.
Apart from panels with invited privacy authorities, experts and guests, the agenda also included some more side events accessible for all Data Protection Officers and the general public. One of them was the NPC’s DPO ACE certification program. About 800 DPOs from Visayas and Mindanao joined to thoroughly study the seven modules covering principles and management program on data privacy and protection, impact assessment, security measures and breach management. On December 5, there was a written examination. Robocash Finance Corp., which is an affiliate company of the financial holding Robocash Group in the Philippines, also attended the certification and became an active participant in other discussions during the forum.
Commenting on the event, Ronnel Mapaye, Country Manager of Robocash Philippines, noticed: “Introduced with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 in the Philippines, the program is in its active stage now. We have protected our customers’ data and used it only with a legitimate purpose according to their consent since the very inception. Nevertheless, we are ready to meet new challenges and comply with all requirements. Although the results of the examination will be announced later, we are starting preparations for the next stages. We will elaborate and submit our policies to the National Commission for approval. After that, the company will implement them on a regular basis and do its monthly breach reports. It will take time, but we are sure that these initiatives will provide a fruitful background for the future development of digital technologies in the Philippines.”
