Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Canada-Philippines Business and Cultural Exchange Inc. (“CPBCEX,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a non-profit organization registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10173) of the Philippines and its implementing rules and regulations. Where we collect personal information from individuals located in Canada, we also observe the principles of Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, submit forms, register for events, or otherwise interact with us.

2. Accountability

CPBCEX has designated a Privacy Officer who is responsible for our compliance with this policy and applicable privacy laws. If you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding our privacy practices, please contact:

3. Information We Collect

We collect personal information only for identified purposes and limit collection to what is necessary. The types of information we collect include:

• Contact forms: Name, email address, phone number, organization name, subject, and message content.
• Trade mission registration: First and last name, email, phone number, company name, job title, website, country, industry, participation type, interests, and any additional message.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Email address.
• Automatically collected information: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This data is collected through server logs and Firebase Analytics.

4. Purposes of Collection

We identify the purposes for collecting personal information before or at the time of collection. We use your information to:

• Respond to your inquiries and contact form submissions
• Process trade mission registrations and coordinate event logistics
• Send newsletters and updates you have consented to receive
• Improve our website, services, and user experience
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of use

We will not use your personal information for purposes other than those stated without obtaining your further consent.

5. Consent

We obtain your meaningful consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information. By submitting a form on our website, you consent to the collection and use of your information for the purposes described in this policy.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer. Withdrawal of consent may limit our ability to provide certain services to you.

6. Disclosure and Third-Party Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share your information with:

• Service providers: Trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website and delivering services (e.g., Firebase by Google for hosting and data storage, SMTP2GO for email delivery). These providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, regulation, court order, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of CPBCEX or others.

7. Cross-Border Data Transfers

CPBCEX operates between Canada and the Philippines. Your personal information may be stored and processed in either country. Our service providers (including Google Firebase and SMTP2GO) may process data in the United States or other jurisdictions.

In all cases, we ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your personal information to a standard comparable to that required by the Philippine Data Privacy Act and applicable privacy laws. By using our website, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your information to these jurisdictions.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Secure cloud infrastructure with access controls (Firebase / Google Cloud)
• Input validation and rate limiting on all form submissions
• Security headers (HSTS, Content Security Policy, X-Frame-Options)

While we take reasonable measures to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Contact form submissions and event registrations are retained for a reasonable period to facilitate follow-up and fulfill our obligations. Newsletter subscriptions remain active until you unsubscribe.

10. Your Rights

Under the Philippine Data Privacy Act and applicable privacy laws, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw consent for the processing of your information
• Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@cpbcex.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly.
• Analytics cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with our website (Firebase Analytics).

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of our website.

12. Complaints

If you believe that we have not handled your personal information in accordance with this policy or applicable law, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) of the Philippines. If you are a Canadian resident, you may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will post any changes on this page and update the effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact: