On September 26, 2023, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) published its Circular No. 2023-02 Data Privacy Competency Program. In particular, the Circular provides that the NPC must develop a Data Privacy Competency Program, which must be composed of courses on the fundamental and operational aspects of the Data Privacy Act (the Act) to give a better understanding of the Act and its application to actual situations, and other projects geared towards data privacy education.

Scope

Through the program, the Circular notes that the NPC must develop uniform curricula and modules on the legal framework of privacy law and regulations and learning outcomes to train the public. The NPC must license the use of a prescribed curriculum to qualified training providers to enhance the quality of education on Philippine data privacy law.

Completion of training courses

Completion of a training course or successful passing of an examination administered by the NPC must only measure the competency proficiency of an enrollee. It shall in no case be construed as a professional certification on Philippine data privacy law. In this regard, the Circular provides that certification is not necessary for a person to act as, or perform the functions of, a data privacy professional, including a data protection officer (DPO) or compliance officer for privacy.

You can read the Circular here.