DFA to public: 'Passport data safe, secure'

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is reassuring the public that it remains in custody and control of passport data and has not shared the information with or allowed access by any unauthorized party.

The reassurance came after a DFA meeting with the National Privacy Commission (NPC). The meeting was meant to clarify issues resulting from Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s tweet that a former passport contractor had run off with applicants’ data.

Data Protection Officer and Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Medardo Macaraig, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Neil Frank Ferrer and other officials represented the DFA at the meeting.

The officials stressed measures are in place to protect the personal data of passport applicants in the entire ISO-certified process.

“All passport data is safe,” the DFA said. “The department is hoping that it was able to address the concerns of the Commission and remains ready to cooperate, especially with Congress, in any other investigation to be conducted on this issue,” it added in a statement.

“The department is also hoping that it was able to assuage the concerns of the public on this issue.”

Locsin signed Department Order 03-2019 that eliminates the need to submit birth certificates upon renewal of passports, except in a few specific cases.

After his statement that former French contractor Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciare took off with sensitive passport applicants’ data, Locsin backtracked, saying it was not possible to run off with passport data and that the data were only “made inaccessible.”

“Data is not run-away-able but made inaccessible. Access denied,” Locsin said on Twitter.

He said APO, the current passport contractor, assured him they were able to access the data from Oberthur but these were of “not much use and parts corrupted.”