The COMELEC’s Gender and Development (GAD) Group on Policy Studies (GAD-GPS) together with civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations launched a series of public discussions on initiatives to increase women participation in Philippine elections on October 19, 2016, 10:00 am the COMELEC Session Hall, 8/F Palacio del Gobernador Building, Intramuros, Manila. Read more
The National Privacy Commission has issued two Memorandum Circulars (MCs) this week, the first since the body was formed earlier in 2016. The first circular, MC No. 16-001, is on the Security of Personal Data in Government. The Circular applies to all government agencies engaged in the processing of personal Read more
ITU and UN Women select outstanding projects to empower women and girls through innovative technologies Geneva, 17 October 2016 ITU and UN Women announced today the fourteen finalists for the 2016 GEM-TECH Awards to advance women’s participation in the ICT sector. This annual award honours outstanding projects and programmes around Read more
The Right to Know, Right Now (R2KRN) Coalition, a group of around 160 individuals and organizations advocating for the fulfillment of the people’s freedom of information, held a public forum on “FOI in the First 100 Days: Developments and Balance of Work” on Friday, 7 October 2016. Members of the Coalition delivered presentations on Read more
On September 12, 2016, World Wide Web Foundation officially announced and released the report cards that assess progress on closing the digital gender divide in ten countries:Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Egypt, Nigeria, Uganda, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The Gender Program of Foundation for Media Alternatives led the Philippine process. The Read more
Sept. 9 – FMA today called for a consultation meeting with partners working on internet rights for a joint submission on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Established in 2006 by the UN General Assembly in resolution 60/251, the UPR is a unique process, which involves a periodic review of the Read more
Last March 2016, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) fell victim to what is now known as one of the biggest government-related breaches in history. This hack on the COMELEC database leaked the personal information of approximately 55 million registered Filipino voters. The incident soon caused widespread concern and public outrage, prompting FMA Read more
A new United Nations report has brought e-government into focus by calling it an effective tool to help support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report 2016 UN E-Government Survey, produced bi-annually by the UN Department of Economic and Read more
On September 3, 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a “state of lawless violence” in the Philippines following an explosion in Davao Night Market in Davao City that claimed the lives of 14 people and left more than 60 others injured. The President said this is not Martial Law as there Read more
[PRESS RELEASE] The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act (DPA) of 2012 was officially submitted to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) for publication on the Official Gazette by the National Privacy Commission (NPC) after several months of public consultations nationwide with various stakeholders. The IRR will officially take effect fifteen Read more