NCCA Leads Dayaw 2016 Festivities as Part of Commemorating Indigenous People's Month

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) held on October 19, 2016 a press conference at its office lobby in Intramuros, Manila to formally initiate the start of the series of activities lined up as part of the commemoration of Indigenous People's Month. It is said that we are to expect a month-long series of activities that will end sometime third week of November.

The main event of Dayaw will be held in Manila from November 21 to 23. 

Forming the panel of key personalities involved in the celebrations were OIC-executive Director Marichu G. Tellano; Dr. Edwin Antonio, Head of the National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities; Cirio Pastolero, Director IV from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary; Lee Arroyo, OIC-Executive Director of the NCIP; and Dr. Al-Anwar Anzar, Commissioner of the SCCTA.

At this media launch, the organizers also incorporated traditional music and dances as part of the program to both entertain and inform the press conference attendees of our cultural history.

Everyone in the panel gave their opening messages, as well as closing messages after a Q&A to answer all inquiries from the media and other people present at the event.

OIC-executive Director Marichu appreciates the attendance of the media and mentioned that they are grateful for the support in disseminating information. She also replied to an inquiry about partnering with the Department of Education (DepEd) in integrating the knowledge about IPs and other related matters by making it as part of the curriculum or as a subject or topic discussed in school. Our understanding is that they are already collaborating with DepEd and may soon come out with more visible solutions.

An exhibit at a nearby room was also formally opened through a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Manila Gears Up for International Innovation & Startup Conference Bootstrap Manila on October 22, 2016

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International Organisations are recognizing the Philippines as one of the leading Innovation Hubs in the region. Thus, the local startup scene will be shaken up with a major event happening this week, the organizers are Impact Hub Manila, one of the country’s leading startup incubator/accelerator, and LaunchGarage, one of the top innovation and coworking hubs in the metro,

They host the first ever Bootstrap Manila 2016, an international innovation conference, on October 22, 2016 at Green Sun Hotel, Makati from 8:00 AM to 5:00PM.

The one-day conference highlights the emerging startup scene in the country with an exciting speaker lineup of innovators and disruptors namely: Luis Buenaventura of Bloom Solutions, a fintech and cryptocurrency expert; Manny Ayala, Managing Director of the Philippine office of Endeavor, a global nonprofit focused on accelerating high-impact entrepreneurs; and Ibba Rasul-Bernardo, an IT entrepreneur committed to bringing technology to the BOP (base of pyramid).

Joining them are experts from the vibrant and established ecosystems of Berlin, Jakarta, and Bangalore - Rainer Seider the Head of Unit European and International Co-operation, Ministry for Economics, Technology and Research; Deepesh Agarwal, CEO MoveInSync Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd.; Fajar Anugerah of Bali Recycling; Geraldine de Bastion, Founder of the Global Innovation Gathering; Yatan Blumenthal, Co-Founder Betahaus/Hardware.co; and Paula Schwarz, Founder of Startupboat.

Slots are limited and tickets are available online at Bootstrap Manila.

Bootstrap is part of the four-city StartHubs AsiaBerlin Startup and Innovation Roadshow that includes Berlin, Bangalore, and Jakarta. It is an initiative of the City Senate of Berlin in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to shine the spotlight on the four important startup hubs and foster cooperation among these diverse yet interconnected ecosystems. With better communication and coordination, including knowledge sharing, among the different hubs, this innovative project aims to develop opportunities and initiatives relevant to current global concerns,

Representing the Philippine delegation are Matthew Cua, Founder and CEO of SkyEye Inc.; Joe Maristela, serial entrepreneur, member of the Manila Angel Investors Network and CEO of Katalyst.ph; Pia Angeli Bernal, Social Enterprise Investments Manager of Kickstart Ventures; Jay Fajardo, serial tech entrepreneur and CEO of LaunchGarage; and Mathias Jaeggi, serial entrepreneur, Co-Founder of both Impact Hub Manila and Sporttrip GmbH.

Another highlight of the conference is the formal presentation of the winners of the Impact Hub Fellowship Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Philippines and Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Cleverheat, a solar-powered refrigeration system, HiGi, environment-friendly briquettes for cooking, and Solar Sari-Sari Store, portable solar charging stations, share the accolade for the best innovative ideas designed to address the needs for sustainable energy solutions in the country today.

Government Open Data to Improve with Data Sharing Directives

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The free-flow of information within the government is expected to improve with the National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) issuance of its latest memorandum circular (NPC MC 16-02) on Data Sharing Agreements Involving Government Agencies.

This latest issuance from the NPC reinforces its mandate to support the free-flow of information and safeguard the right to privacy of information. Privacy Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said the law was intended to strike a balance between the need for information freedom and data privacy as indispensable components of nation building. “Freedom of information is more than just access requests to government, it is about responsible data sharing. Open data will contribute significantly to improving government services and coming up with new ones, supporting innovation and growth,” Liboro said.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Executive Order was recently issued by the government, and the privacy commission clarified that the Data Privacy Act (DPA) cannot be used as a shield against FoI. It pointed out that the DPA is for the protection of any personal data that may be contained in government records that is not relevant to the freedom of information request, particularly when it affects private citizens.

The government is considered the largest collector and repository of personal data. E-governance initiatives and innovations in public services allow for citizens to avail of these services online, eliminating the need to queue up or having to fill out paper-based forms with personal data that the government already has.

The Data Sharing Issuance requires that personal information controllers (government agencies) to implement safeguards for data sharing. These safeguards include adhering to data privacy principles, entering into Data Sharing Agreements, reviewing technical security measures when allowing online access, and providing for the return, destruction or disposal of transferred personal data. Violation of directives contained in the issuance may lead to sanctions.