This will be the first time for the Philippines to host APPA, acknowledged as the principal forum for privacy and data protection authorities in the Asia Pacific region.

The Philippines is set to host the 52nd Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) Forum in Cebu with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) taking the lead.

Privacy commissioners from the region and guest ASEAN representatives are expected to converge for the main event at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa on 2 to 3 December 2019. During the formal sessions, members and invited guests will meet in closed-door sessions to discuss best practices, build partnerships, share information on emerging technology and trends, as well as explore new policy directions across the region.

Other activities in the agenda include, the discussion of jurisdictional reports from each delegation, roundtable dialogues, exchanging views on the challenges linked with international data transfer and the cross-border enforcement of privacy laws across Asia Pacific.

“Since its founding in 1992, the APPA has inspired alliances among authorities in the region, paving the way for establishing cooperative arrangements that push for data subject protection. At the 52nd APPA Forum in Cebu City, Philippines, we keep to this cherished tradition of judicious discourse and communal action as we jointly address new and emerging privacy challenges that are continually prompted by technological advances,” Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said.

This will be the first time for the Philippines to host APPA, acknowledged as the principal forum for privacy and data protection authorities in the Asia Pacific region, aimed at facilitating partnerships and the exchange of ideas on privacy regulation.

Three side events are also scheduled during the APPA Forum, open to all Data Protection Officers (DPO) and the general public. They are the NPC’s DPO ACE (Accountability, Compliance, and Ethics) certification program, the Global Privacy Forum and the PSST! (Privacy, Security, Safety and Trust) symposium for students and educators.

Around 800 DPO in the Visayas and Mindanao are expected to join the NPC’s DPO ACE (Accountability, Compliance and Ethics) certification program on 3 December at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino, Cebu City. It shall cover the standard seven modules, to be discussed by top agency officials, while the written examination is scheduled on 5 December.