NPC and PCC sign MOA to boost consumer and data privacy protection
On February 9, 2022, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) jointly signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in order to foster cooperation and coordination between the two regulatory agencies. The MOA signing ceremony was held virtually and attended by NPC Privacy Commissioner John Henry D. Naga and PCC Chairperson Arsenio M. Balisacan.
The MOA recognizes the “significant synergies and complementarity of working together towards a harmonized approach in performing their respective duties and functions,” the agreement read.
Naga said that the MOA is the start of countless collaborations between the two agencies established on mutual trust. He added that the agreement is “anchored in the vision that both NPC and PCC share, which is empowering our people and our nation through the interagency partnership that would mutually benefit both parties.
“It is undeniable that the complementary duties and functions of the National Privacy Commission and Philippine Competition Commission and the collaboration on our respective regulatory responsibilities are critical to protect our stakeholders. Forming strategic alliances through a harmonized approach is truly an effective way to execute our respective mandates efficiently,” Naga said.
The MOA enables both NPC and PCC to consult with each other in the drafting and implementing policies relating to the other’s expertise. The agreement also allows investigation and enforcement support and Notification of Matters between the agencies — where one of the agencies receives or otherwise becomes aware of any matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the other agency or the regulatory mandate of both agencies; said agency will inform the other agency within a specified timeframe. The agencies may also organize a joint task force charged with implementing the coordination and cooperation efforts of the parties under the MOA. Likewise, capacity-building activities such as personnel training may be arranged to promote coordination and cooperation.
“Protection of consumers and data subjects will always be our top priority. We will meet again with PCC to fully harness the benefits of this agreement in order to ensure the protection of the consumers in the digital age,” Naga added.
The virtual signing ceremony was also attended by NPC OIC-Deputy Privacy Commissioner and Executive Director Ivin Ronald D.M. Alzona, together with PCC officials, Commissioner Macario R. De Claro, Jr., Commissioner Johannes Benjamin R. Bernabe, and Executive Director Kenneth Tanate.
