Privacy Notice

1. Who we are

Discover Pampanga (discoverpampanga.com) is operated by Cybergenium Group, Porac, Pampanga, Philippines (“we”, “us”). We are the personal information controller for the information described here, and we follow Republic Act No. 10173, the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its implementing rules, and the issuances of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

Our Data Protection Officer is Merald Ayson, who can be reached at contact@discoverpampanga.com.

2. What we collect, and why

When you send us a form

• Add your business or plan enquiry: your full name, email address, phone number, the business name, its full address, an optional website or social media link and anything else you tell us. We use this to review and publish the listing, reply to your enquiry and, if you choose a paid plan, arrange the plan and payment.
• Claim a listing: your name, work email, optional phone number, your role and the proof you give us. We use this to confirm that you speak for the business before giving you control of its listing.
• Suggest a place, a correction, an event, a deal, a photo or a story: what you write and, only if you choose to give it, a name, email or phone number so we can follow up.
• Newsletter: your email address and where on the site you signed up. We ask you to confirm the subscription before sending anything.

Details about a business (its name, address, hours, phone and links) are business information that we publish on the listing. Your own name, email and phone are never shown publicly unless you are listing them as the business’s public contact.

When you browse

• Click statistics: when you click certain links (for example “Get directions”, a booking button or a business website), we record which link was clicked, on which page and when. This record contains no name, IP address or cookie.
• Google Analytics: we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the site is used: pages viewed, clicks, approximate location (city or country), device and browser type. Google Analytics sets cookies for this. Advertising features and ad personalisation are switched off.
• Abuse protection: to stop spam and repeated form submissions, we use a one-way, scrambled version (a salted hash) of your IP address. We do not store your raw IP address with your submission.

Team accounts

People who work on the site have an account with their name, email and a securely hashed password. We keep a record of the changes they make, for accuracy and accountability.

3. Our legal basis

We process personal information with your consent (for example, when you submit a form or subscribe), to take steps you ask for before entering into a contract and to perform it (listing plans), and for our legitimate interests in running an accurate, secure travel guide, in each case as allowed by Sections 12 and 13 of the Data Privacy Act. You may withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting what was done before.

4. Cookies

• Google Analytics cookies (names starting with _ga): measure visits. They expire after up to 2 years. You can block them in your browser or with Google’s opt-out add-on.
• Sign-in cookie (dp_session): only for our team in the admin area; it keeps you signed in for up to 14 days.

We do not use advertising or tracking cookies of our own. Blocking analytics cookies does not affect how the site works.

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent personal information. We share it only with service providers who help us run the site, under their own privacy and security commitments:

• our web hosting and database provider;
• Google, for Google Analytics;
• our email provider, once we send newsletters or replies by email;
• payment channels you choose for a paid plan (e-wallet, bank, PayPal or Wise), which receive what they need to process your payment.

Some providers may store data outside the Philippines. When that happens we rely on their contractual and security safeguards, as the Data Privacy Act requires. We may also disclose information when required by law or by a lawful order.

6. Other websites

Pages load map tiles from OpenStreetMap and some photos from Wikimedia Commons, so those services see your IP address when the page loads. Links to Google Maps, booking sites, partner (affiliate) sites, business websites and social media take you to services with their own privacy policies; partner sites may set their own cookies when you visit them.

7. How long we keep it

• Plan enquiries and listing submissions: up to 2 years after our last contact, or for as long as the listing or plan is active, plus any period required for tax and accounting records.
• Claims: for as long as the claimed listing exists, so we can show who verified it.
• Suggestions and corrections: up to 2 years.
• Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.
• Google Analytics data: 14 months.
• Click statistics: these contain no personal information and are kept as aggregate history.

After that, we delete or anonymise it.

8. How we protect it

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, role-based access for our team, rate limiting on forms and an audit log of changes. Only team members who need the information to do their work can see form submissions. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to harm you, we will notify you and the National Privacy Commission as the law requires.

9. Your rights

Under the Data Privacy Act you have the right to:

• be informed about how your personal information is processed;
• access the personal information we hold about you;
• object to processing, and withdraw consent;
• have inaccurate information corrected;
• have your information erased or blocked;
• receive your information in a portable format;
• claim damages if you are harmed by inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false or unlawfully obtained information; and
• file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (privacy.gov.ph).

To use any of these rights, email contact@discoverpampanga.com with the subject “Privacy request”. We may ask you to confirm your identity, and we will reply within 30 days at no cost.

10. Children

Our forms are meant for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has sent us their information, please tell us and we will delete it.

11. Changes

We will update this notice when our practices change and show the date at the top. If a change materially affects how we use information you have already given us, we will tell you before it applies.

12. Contact

Cybergenium Group
Porac, Pampanga, Philippines
Data Protection Officer: Merald Ayson
Email: contact@discoverpampanga.com

See also our Terms of Use and Editorial standards. Discover Pampanga is an independent travel guide.