LMB holds Seminar on the Data Privacy Act of 2012

The Land Management Bureau (LMB) conducted a seminar attended by selected employees and officials with the intention to equip the learners on the features and importance of Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. This was held on February 22, 2023, at the Hop Inn hotel in Diliman, Quezon City.

In his message, the LMB Assistant Director Engr. Romeo P. Verzosa emphasized that government employees have the responsibility to ensure the protection of the citizenry’s data privacy rights. He also mentioned that the attendees would benefit significantly from the seminar.

The resource speakers, Atty. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary dL. Pimentel, Chief of the Litigation Section, and Ms. Loribelle P. Lluz, Chief of the Public Assistance Section were from the LMB’s Legal Division and Records and Knowledge Management Division, respectively. Their presentations focused on the significance of records management and on the Data Privacy Act of 2012, which brought apparent enlightenment to the audience.

The learners became further aware of the Act’s Scope, Limitations, the role of the National Privacy Commission in its implementation, the processing of personal information, the responsibilities of heads of agencies, and the criteria for the lawful processing of important information. It was also stressed that one of the crucial parts of the Act is the data subject’s permit of consent. Moreover, the exceptions, the rights of the data subject, the acts penalized under the said law, and the extent of liability were likewise highlighted.

Further, Ms. Lluz delivered her presentation about “Records and Its Classifications,” where she emphasized that “records” serve as the memory of an organization. Some of the most noteworthy subtopics of her presentation were the kinds of public records, records’ life cycles, and the classification of records according to the DENR Administrative Order 97-24. Fruitful discussions among the attendees took place during her presentation and ended with the insightful quote, “Records Management is knowing what you have, where you have it, and how long you have to keep it.”

Before the training proper ended, the learners were tasked to engage in a group discussion about relative situations within the organization that must be taken to light and to present their outputs. It led to another engaging exchange that the learners took with serious consideration.

The Data Privacy Act of 2012 Training was formally ended by the LMB Land Policy and Planning Division Chief, Engr. Henry P. Pacis. In his closing remarks, he expressed his delight at the realization of some practices within the Bureau that must come to a stop or those that must be done with extra caution and consciousness. He was also glad that the training made way to the exposure of possible requirements to amend LMB’s policy concerning records management.