National Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro with Privacy Authorities from Australia and Hong Kong at a news briefing after the opening of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities forum at Shangri-La Mactan resort hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

The Philippine Privacy Commission on Monday stressed the need to ensure that privacy regulations across Asia Pacific is responsive not just to safeguard individual rights and protect personal data but also to facilitate the safe flow of information which is the fuel for economic progress in an era dominated by information and communication technology.

“Value in today’s data-driven world is created by building bridges and not walls. And that’s what we intend to accomplish today at the APPA Forum. To build bridges towards a future that is safe and progressive which our children could immensely benefit from,” Raymon Enriquez Liboro said.

This developed as the 52nd Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) opened in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu with privacy commissioners from 19 jurisdictions across the region convened in closed sessions to deliberate on emerging technology trends and threats that impact privacy, share best practices, explore new policy directions and build institutional partnerships.

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

This is the first time the Philippines hosted the APPA.

The 19 delegations that joined the forum were: Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner; Information and Privacy Commissioner of the British Columbia; Office of the Privacy Commissioner Canada; Deputy Superintendent for the Protection of Personal Data; Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Hong Kong), Personal Information Protection Commission (Japan) and others.