I.  INTRODUCTION

The PhilSys Registry Office (PRO) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) respects your privacy and recognizes the need for appropriate measures to protect and manage the personal data you entrusted us. To ensure that we remain worthy of your confidence and trust in protecting your personal data, we developed this Privacy Policy in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), other issuances of National Privacy Commission (NPC), as well as other relevant laws of the Philippines.

This Privacy Policy details the manner we process (collect, use, share, retain, and dispose) and protect your personal data. It also provides steps to be undertaken should you request for any change in the way we process your personal data or order the blocking of your personal data from our filing system.

II.  PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA

A. Why we collect your personal data

Personal information refers to “any information, whether or not recorded in any form, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can reasonably and/or directly be ascertained by the entity holding the information, or, when put together with other information, would directly and certainly identify an individual”. Personal data pertains to all types of personal information, sensitive personal information and privileged information.

Apart from compliance with the regulatory requirements, we deem it necessary to collect, use, store and retain your personal data to enable us to perform processes related with our business and transactions with all our customers.

In general, we use the personal data you entrusted us with to:

  • Perform activities in relation with our services;
  • Perform processes related with security monitoring, incident reporting, and CCTV surveillance to ensure safety and security of all guests, staff, and other visitors; and
  • Comply with our obligations under the law and as required by other government organizations.

 

We can also use your personal information in the following transactions:

  1. When you are an applicant to the PhilSys Registry:

i. To validate your identity as a Filipino or a Resident Alien of the Philippines;

ii. To verify your entries in the PhilSys Registration Form as compared to your presented supporting documents;

iii.To generate your assigned PhilSys Number (PSN), PhilSys Card Number (PCN), and QR code;

iv. To facilitate the printing of your PhilID; and

v. To issue and deliver your produced PhilID to the registration centers or your address.

    2. When you are a registered individual:

i. To authenticate your identity, online or offline, concerning information stored in the PhilSys and PhilID;

ii. To rectify your demographic information if there are any changes or correction, upon your request;

iii. To update your biometric information as needed;

iv. To process your request for reissuance of PhilID;

v. To permit you to allow or disallow the use of your PSN for a limited number of days; and

vi. To deactivate your PSN due to reasons sanctioned by law.

    3. When you transact with us through PhilSys Portal:

i. To pre-register and schedule you for the actual registration in Registration Centers;

ii. To authenticate you as the person initiating qualified transactions by sending you One-Time PIN (OTP) or verification link to your preferred channel;

iii. To authorize you to allow or disallow the use of your PSN for a limited number of days;

iv. To facilitate payment for transactions that require fees such as renewal and reissuance of PhilID;

v. To generate your PhilID;

vi. To generate tokens for authentication purposes; and

vii. To access your transaction detail history.

    4. When you access PRO facilities:

i. To perform processes related with security monitoring, incident reporting and CCTV surveillance to ensure safety and security of all guests, staffs and other visitors;

ii. To monitor all persons who were given access to PRO premises; and

iii. For reference in case of security or emergency-related incidents occurring within PRO premises.

    5. When you are a respondent to our survey:

i. To know your feedback on your registration process for our assessment; and

ii. To gather your information for analysis and statistical purposes regarding your experience in the registration.

 

B. What personal data we collect from you

In carrying out its mandate, the PRO collects and process personal data, including but not limited to the following:

  • Applicant’s and registered individual’s personal information such as full name, address, mobile number, email address, photo, and biometrics (fingerprints and iris scan);
  • Applicant’s and registered individual’s sensitive personal information such as age, sex, blood type, birthdate, citizenship, civil status, and government-issued identification documents (e.g., certificate of live birth, Philippine passport, driver’s license);
  • Personal information of parents of minor applicants such as name and PSN; and
  • Information collected through our CCTV surveillance and other security.

Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that all personal data you submit is accurate, complete, and up-to-date.

 

C. How we collect or acquire your personal data

We collect your data when you:

  • Fill-out our forms and present necessary documents as part of our processes, such as Registration Forms and Updating Forms;
  • Accomplish forms and log through our PhilSys Web Portal;
  • Fill-out our survey forms;
  • Provide personal information in relation to inquiries, requests, and complaints;
  • Disclose your personal information through phone calls, e-mails, SMSs or verbal communication with our authorized representatives; or
  • Enter any of the company’s premises, your footages and images may be collected through our camera surveillance (i.e., CCTV).

 

D. To whom we share your personal data

To provide you with efficient and effective service and for the attainment of PRO’s legal mandate, PRO may share your personal data with the following:

  • Government agencies such as the DSWD, GSIS, SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-IBIG;
  • Partners such as accredited banks and financial providers; and Service/solution providers.

The sharing is covered by Data Sharing Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement and is implemented through secured means.

III.   PRIVACY POLICY FOR CAMERA SURVEILLANCE

PRO uses a CCTV system in capturing employees’ and guests’ images and videos to monitor anti-social behavior, crime, and emergency incidents or situations within PRO’s premises. The CCTV data is stored in secure locations which may be accessed by authorized PRO personnel for legitimate purposes and may be shared with the appropriate authority for investigatory purposes subject to guidelines, as there are other images in the footage not necessary to be disclosed.

For questions or concerns, you may reach us through the contact details as listed under Section VII.

IV.  DATA PROTECTION

PRO takes reasonable steps in ensuring that the personal data we process are accurate, complete, and up-to-date.

Furthermore, we strictly enforce our Privacy Policy within PRO. Also, we implement technological, organizational, and physical security measures to protect personal information against natural dangers such as accidental loss or destruction, and human dangers such as unlawful or unauthorized access, fraudulent use, unlawful destruction, alteration, and contamination thereof.

We likewise use a secured server behind a firewall and deploy adequate physical security controls. Finally, we restrict access to your personal data only to qualified and authorized personnel who hold your personal data with strict confidentiality.

V.  DATA RETENTION

The personal data will be kept in our facilities located in the Philippines in accordance with our retention schedule unless you request for the deletion of your personal data in our systems, databases and hardcopies. Once deleted, your personal data will no longer appear or be included in anonymous searches and will be completely removed from all the storage location.

PRO reserves the right to retain your personal data in our files located in the Philippines under certain circumstances such as when your personal data may be necessary to resolve disputes, or if PRO is required to do so by law or in the good faith; provided that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation and/or protect and defend the rights or property of PRO or its affiliates. If PRO is required to retain any portion of your personal data for such purposes, it shall use reasonable efforts to limit such data to what is necessary to accomplish the particular purpose.

VI.  CHANGES IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY

As necessary, this Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. If we change our Privacy Policy, we will post the revised version on our website at https://www.psa.gov.ph. Such updates will take effect immediately. We suggest that you check our website periodically for the most up-to-date version of our Privacy Policy. Rest assured that any changes will not be retroactively applied and will not alter the manner we handle previously collected personal data without obtaining your consent, unless required by law.

VII.   YOUR DATA PRIVACY RIGHTS

As a data subject, you are entitled to the rights enumerated under Section 34 of the IRR of DPA of 2012 such as the following:

  • Right to be informed that the personal data pertaining to him or her shall be, are being, or have been collected;
  • Right to dispute the inaccuracy or error in your personal data; and
  • Right to erasure or blocking. You shall have the right to suspend, withdraw or order the blocking, removal or destruction of your personal data from PRO’s filing system upon discovery and substantial proof of any of the following:

a. The personal data is incomplete, outdated, false, or unlawfully obtained;

b. The personal data is being used for purpose you did not authorize;

c. The personal data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected;

d. You consent or object to the processing, and there is no other legal ground or overriding legitimate interest for the processing;

e. The personal data concerns private information that is prejudicial to you, unless justified by freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press or otherwise authorized;

f. The processing is unlawful; or

g. The PRO and third parties to whom the former share the personal data violated your rights as data subject.

If you opt to order the erasure or blocking of your personal information from our filing system, we can no longer authenticate your identity to validate your personal information.

Lastly, should you wish to exercise your rights as a data subject (which include the right to access, modify, erase, and object to the processing of your personal data) or should you have any inquiries and feedbacks on this Privacy Policy, and/or complaints to PRO, you may reach us through our “Contact Us” menu in our website at https://www.psa.gov.ph, through a written letter or through an email to our Data Privacy Officer (DPO).

Our contact details are as follows:

ATTY. ELIEZER P. AMBATALI
DIRECTOR III / DATA  PROTECTION OFFICER
2/F TAM Building, PSA Complex, East Avenue, Diliman, 
Quezon City 1101
Office: (632) 8938-5273
Email address: dpo@psa.gov.ph

You may also lodge a complaint before the National Privacy Commission (NPC). For further details, please refer to NPC’s website: https://privacy.gov.ph/mechanics-for-complaints/.

Our decisions to provide such access or consider any request for correction, erasure, and objection to process your personal data as it appears in our records are always subject to any exceptions under applicable and relevant laws and/or the DPA, its IRR, and other issuances of NPC.