The DFA assured of the Philippine passport’s integrity
When Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said that the previous passport maker took away all of the applicant’s data last week, everyone started to worry about personal data being possibly compromised by the unnamed contractor.
It was alarming enough that Locsin casually talked about that in a Twitter conversation and not hold an official press conference to shed light on what really happened. That changed today, as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that they have talked to the National Privacy Commission (NPC) and assured the agency that “all passport data have not been shared with or accessed by any unauthorized party.”
“The Department assured the NPC that it takes extremely seriously the protection of the personal information of the public and that all passport data (are) safe,” the DFA said in a statement.
“The integrity of the Philippine passport is very much intact,” DFA Asec. Elmer Cato said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
Further explaining its stand on the issue, the DFA said that they are taking serious measures in ensuring that all applicant data will not be compromised. In addition, the DFA said that they are willing to cooperate in the investigation to address any concerns and that they are working hard to improve the passport application process.
