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:
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Expert advice at consultations by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Facebook, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Health, and other government agencies
-
Speaking engagements in various international forums such as the 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)
-
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
-
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, and the University of Santo Tomas
-
Expert opinion to various media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Rappler Philippines, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABS-CBN News, and GMA News
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 currently taking up post-graduate studies in Urban and Regional Planning.
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.
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 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.”