UDPO Gives Data Privacy Orientation to CHED K to 12 Unit
QUEZON CITY — With the aim to improve the country’s quality of education, the Philippine government, through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K to 12 program, has implemented a comprehensive reform of its education system. This development has caused significant changes in the sector, not to mention a number of challenges, particularly among schools and their personnel. Fully aware of this, the government has forged a five-year transition period within which to establish and implement solutions to the said problems, with the aid of specific agencies or offices, such as the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) K to 12 Transition Program Management Unit (K-12 PMU).
One factor that is key to the success of the new education program is the training and upgrading of teacher skills. Teachers have to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide their students under the new system. To help accomplish this, K-12 PMU established and currently manages scholarship programs exclusively for teachers.
As it happens, the work of K-12 PMU involves processing a significant amount of personal data—that of teacher-scholars. This means their work must be necessarily informed by the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA) in order to ensure that their processing activities are aligned with the law, and the personal data involved are adequately protected.
For this reason, the K-12 PMU invited Atty. Jam Jacob, Director of the University Data Protection Office (UDPO) of the Ateneo de Manila University to give a brief orientation on privacy and data protection last 3 April 2018.
During the session, Atty. Jacob gave a short presentation on the concept of privacy as a fundamental human right, followed by a more extensive discussion of data privacy, and the DPA, in particular. He also addressed a number of concerns raised by the unit, including the posting of personal data on social media, which is fairly common even among government personnel. Atty. Jacob also took up matters relating to data sharing between entities, and issues involving processing arrangements with foreign entities, but about the personal data of Filipinos. That said, what was perhaps most relevant about the occasion was how a number of misconceptions about the DPA and its key terms and principles were finally clarified. Atty. Jacob made sure to dispel further confusion about said topics in order to facilitate a deeper understanding and appreciation of the law and its impact on both the people and the entities processing their information.
The event was not the first time the UDPO was invited to provide an orientation or discussion on data privacy. The Office regularly receives similar requests for orientations, as well as inquiries regarding the subject. Within the University, Atty. Jacob had also spoken on the topic before faculty and personnel of the Ateneo Grade School and the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. It is a small part of the UDPO’s effort to foster awareness among University units and personnel regarding the DPA and its relevance to their respective work and responsibilities.
