About Us
LIGHTS is a research and consulting firm advocating for that crucial synergy between law, ICT, and human rights. Our current focus area is privacy and data protection.
Body of Work in Privacy and Data Protection
LIGHTS consultants work extensively on privacy and data protection as evidenced by the following prior and current engagements:
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Development of a sustainable Privacy Program for the Ateneo de Manila University (ongoing), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (ongoing), a remittance company (ongoing), a non-life insurance provider, and car dealership companies
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Conduct of a privacy impact assessment on specific data processing systems, including a national health expenditure survey, tuberculosis information systems, and related monitoring and evaluation activities
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Conduct of a Data Privacy Act Compliance Workshop to various regional units of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, a universal bank, a global digital solutions provider across mobile, web, cloud, and legacy platforms, a medium-sized law firm, a private university and its adjunct level 3 medical center, and numerous non-profit organisations
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Expert advice at consultations by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, World Bank, Facebook, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Meta, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Health, and other government agencies
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Speaking engagements in various international forums such as the 2021 Stockholm Internet Forum, 2015 Internet Governance Forum (Brazil), 2016 Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Forum (Taiwan), 2016 and 2019 The Citizen Lab Summer Institute (Canada), and at side events to the 2019 Human Rights Council 37th ordinary session (Switzerland) and the 2017 International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (Hong Kong)
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Speaking engagements in various domestic forums such as those organized by the National Privacy Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Bureau of Internal Revenue, EU-Philippines Business Network, UP Law Internet and Society Program, Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines, and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates
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DPA Lectures at various teaching and educational institutions such as the University of the Philippines Law Center, Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, San Beda University College of Law, the Ateneo de Naga School of Law, University of Santo Tomas, and the Lyceum of the Philippines University
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Expert opinion to various media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, Rappler Philippines, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABS-CBN News, GMA News, PhilStar.com, Interakyson, MSN News, SPOT.PH, and Reportr World
The Team
Privacy Advocates
Senior Privacy Advisor
Maristela Miranda
Senior Associate
Maris is a Certified Information Privacy Manager. She regularly conducts research and serves as a resource speaker and consultant on data protection to various organisations in the private and public sectors.
She is a former member of the Privacy Policy Office of the National Privacy Commission. She currently writes about privacy-related issues for GMA News Online and contributes to the development of briefing papers on different issues relating to privacy.
She has a degree in Community Development from the University of the Philippines, where she is also earned her post-graduate units in Urban and Regional Planning.
Shari Datu Tambuyung
Junior Privacy Advisor
Shari is currently part of the Ateneo de Manila University’s data protection unit, with the role of Compliance Officer for Privacy.
She is a former Development Management Officer of the National Privacy Commission, serving under its Policy Development Division. In the agency’s effort to engage with different sectors, she was also designated as overall sectoral champion for the retail industry. She has organized and conducted orientations relating to privacy and data protection.
Shari completed her undergraduate studies at Miriam College, where she earned a degree in Business Administration.
Tats Mendoza
Specialist
Tats is a lawyer specialising in ICT, law, and corporate compliance. She has worked for the National Privacy Commission as legal consultant, communications head, and executive assistant to the Deputy Commissioner for Policies and Planning.
Prior to her stint with the NPC, she worked as a legal and compliance specialist in the private sector for renewable energy companies and in Gatchalian, Castro, and Mawis Law, handling various companies. Before earning her law degree from the Arellano University School of Law, she worked in the Senate of the Philippines under the Office of Senator Pia Cayetano.
Maloy Calaquian
Senior Quality Management Advisor
Maloy is an Otorhinolaryngologist in active practice with extensive work experience involving clinical, academic, and administrative responsibilities.
He led the Philippine General Hospital in its Philhealth Certification on "Center for Excellence" in 2009 and its ISO re-certification in 2011, 2014, and 2017; and the first ISO certification of Ospital ng Muntinlupa (OsMun) in 2013. He is a major contributor to the JCI accreditation of Asian Hospital & Medical Center (2013, 2016) by leading its Quality Management Committee (2008-2013) and Clinical Pathway and Guidelines Committee (2014-present).
He took up Masters in Hospital Administration at the UP Manila College of Public Health.
Jamael Jacob
Executive Director
Jam is is a lawyer by profession and specialises in ICT, law, and human rights. He is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPM, CIPP/E). He has worked on data protection since 2011. He serves as the Data Protection Officer of the Ateneo de Manila University, and is Policy and Legal Advisor of the Foundation for Media Alternatives.
Previously, he led the policy unit of the National Privacy Commission. Today, he regularly speaks at various local and international forums, and writes for GMA News Online and Rappler.
He has degrees in Sociology and Law from the University of the Philippines, an LL.M from the University of Auckland, and has taken the Summer Course on US-EU Privacy Law and Policy at the University of Amsterdam.
Ivy Patdu
Ivy D. Patdu is a physician, a lawyer, and a privacy practitioner. She served as Deputy Commissioner of the National Privacy Commission, providing her expertise in the development of the Implementing Rules of the Data Privacy Act, other agency issuances, and the DPO ACE Training Program.
She also practices as medicolegal, handling risk management for healthcare providers, and serves as lawyer for doctors and hospitals.
She earned her degrees in medicine and law from the University of the Philippines-Manila and the Ateneo law school, respectively. She also completed her Masters in Hospital Administration from UP Manila. She is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional.
In the News
mLex
Philippine privacy regulator gearing up to impose new fines despite challenges
23 May 2022
"For multinational companies that already spend a substantial amount on data privacy compliance, these fines would hardly be noticed, according to data-protection advocate and former NPC director Jamael Jacob."
“For the big ones, the ones whose violations have a large impact, it might not be a sufficient deterrent,” he told MLex.
Newsbytes.PH
Free online course on privacy and data protection launched
29 July 2021
“With the constant evolution of privacy, as a concept, and the pace of development we’re seeing in the field of data protection, it is important that Filipinos are able to keep up”
Inquirer.net
Despite ‘red-tagging,’ community pantries rise to 350, says advocate
22 April 2021
Critics of the government say that the baseless labeling of certain individuals and groups as communist rebels or supporters have led to violent and even fatal attacks.
The Wall Street Journal
Doing Business in Myanmar Is Tough, but Norway’s Telenor Finds That Leaving Isn’t Much Easier
14 February 2022
“For telcos and governments, it’s in their interest to say it’s nothing harmful or invasive,” said Jamael Jacob, a Manila-based lawyer specializing in digital privacy. “But civil society would say it’s still capable of disclosing people’s identities and putting them at risk if it got into the hands of the wrong people.”
Philstar.com
Why loan apps are so popular in the Philippines… for better or for worse
13 May 2021
When things go wrong and money gets tight and we run out of people to ask for help from, advances in technology could save the day.
Newsbytes.PH
NPC: Police have no blanket power to access data of persons in custody of gov’t agency
19 March 2021
The privacy body appeared to have made the statement after lawyer Jam Jacob wrote a scathing criticism in his Newsbytes.PH column…
Philstar.com
Christine Dacera film? Filipinos’ response is to let her ‘rest in peace’
18 February 2021
A lawyer who specializes in privacy law said that Christine still has privacy rights under the Philippine law even if deceased.
Reportr
Privacy in Christine Dacera Case Matters, Here's Why
14 January 2021
“Unless authorities and offices can invoke a legal basis for the public disclosure of the autopsy results, the victim’s family can still assert their right to privacy and keep information confidential,” he said.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Contact tracing apps: Public health vs data privacy
8 July 2020
Despite its promised benefits, contact tracing apps are raising a growing number of data privacy concerns.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Right to be Forgotten
23 June 2019
An individual may compel a search engine, like Google, to remove or delete links containing “inadequate, irrelevant… or excessive” data...
South China Morning Post
Big brother Huawei kitted out this Philippine city. Is China watching?
28 January 2019
Huawei’s state of the art surveillance systems at the Philippines’ ‘Bonifacio Global City’ spark paranoia that a Chinese big brother is watching
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Dangerous Data Breach
2 October 2018
The Senate should seriously consider the call by a data privacy expert to look into the possible data breach of files from the Department of National Defense (DND)...
Interaksyon
Weighing the national ID system for Filipinos: The good, the bad and the ugly
29 May 2018
The proposed national ID system may soon become a law, but many sectors are divided on whether the system would be thoroughly advantageous or mired with privacy and security issues.
Rappler
State surveillance: A necessary evil?
16 March 2018
In this year alone, authorities in the Philippines were able to arrest 3 individuals connected with the Islamic State (ISIS).
Reportr
Do Gays Go Straight After a Few Drinks? Dacera Case Sparks Debate
14 January 2021
Privacy rights lawyer Jamael Jacob said the PNP's disclosure of persons of interests' sexual orientation is also a violation of their privacy.
MLex Market Intelligence
Philippine privacy regime fails to live up to expectations
14 October 2020
Jam Jacob, a former NPC director and currently the data-protection officer of the Ateneo de Manila University, also told MLex it’s now getting harder to convince other organizations why they have to take data protection seriously in the country.
Rappler
Things to know before sharing others' personal info amid coronavirus outbreak
23 March 2020
“It is highly improbable that the public at large will need to know the identities of COVID-19 patients,” he emphasized. “There is a reason why there is no country out there parading a list of their COVID-19 patients.”
Newsbytes.PH
Increasing role of tech in data exposure underlined in privacy confab
30 January 2019
Experts from various sectors and regions of the country gathered last January 18 for “Panopticon”, a privacy and ICT conference...
SPOT.PH
The DFA Mess and Data Privacy, Explained
24 January 2019
Now that the dust has settled, it’s a good time to take stock of what happened with the Department of Foreign Affairs...
The Straits Times
Philippine Congress ratifies national ID law
31 May 2018
Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday (May 30) ratified a proposed law creating a "national identification system", amid criticism it will set up a mechanism prone to data breach and abuse...
Rappler
State surveillance as a tool to silence critics
18 March 2018
Human rights groups say the administrations of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte are similar in their "intensity" of use of state surveillance...
Rappler
What you need to know about state surveillance
10 March 2018
The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte purchased communications surveillance equipment from the UK. What should citizens know about state monitoring?