TUV Rheinland Philippines Data Protection Officer (DPO) Training and Certification Program has officially certified more than 100 DPOs in the country—a testament to the increasing need for DPOs to be equipped with the tools and knowledge to effectively perform their function.
The Data Protection Officer (DPO) PersCert TÜV Training and Certification Program is a 5 day intensive training which probes into the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its IRR, the duties and responsibilities of a DPO, and an introduction to international standards including EU GDPR. After the training, participants will take an exam that will qualify them as a TÜV Rheinland Certified Data Protection Officer to which after, they earn a certificate and a signet that is valid for 3 years.
Although appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO) is a legal requirement in the Philippines, certification isn’t, which means that the standard of protection can vary significantly from individual-to-individual and company-to-company.
“We see this milestone as an acknowledgement from both private and public organizations that being an appointed DPO is not just a role but a crucial responsibility. This program was carefully crafted with a team of experts in data privacy and the local regulations of the Data Privacy Act (DPA),” said TÜV Rheinland Philippines Managing Director, Tristan Arwen Loveres.
The Philippines’ DPA is aimed at protecting the fundamental human right of privacy of communication while ensuring the free flow of information to promote innovation and growth. Borrowing heavily from some of the advanced data protection concepts found in European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the finalized rules came into force in September 2016, mandating all companies in the Philippines employing 250 or more employees and possessing more than 1,000 personal data to comply with the requirements.
“Personnel Certification is the proof of verified competence of experts in an organization. After completing a course recognized by TÜV Rheinland and passing exams set by the TÜV Rheinland personnel certification body, successful candidates receive a certificate that is valid for a defined period. The certification scheme will reassure companies the DPOs they assign are not just competent, but also fully qualified,” said Mr. Loveres.
TÜV Rheinland Philippines is the first independent testing, inspection and certification services organization to offer Personnel Certification for Data Protection Officers (DPO) in the Philippines. The move follows the signing of a cooperation agreement with the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines (NADPOP).
NADPOP is a non-stock, non-profit organization that empowers, serves and protects Data Protection Officers (DPO) in the Philippines.
Full details of the DPO Personnel Certification Scheme are available on Certipedia – TÜV Rheinland’s state-of-the-art certificate database. Specifically articulately designed to be a user-friendly online reference source, Certipedia is QR code capable and IoT-enabled, which saves time and eliminates the need to search through an entire site. Certipedia can be accessed 24x7 anywhere in the world by anyone with an Internet connection.