Senator Jinggoy Estrada Faces Possible Data Privacy Act Violation Over Social Media Post

During a recent budget hearing, Bicol Saro party-list Representative Terry Ridon raised concerns about a social media post made by Senator Jinggoy Estrada that may have violated the Data Privacy Act (DPA). The post featured yearbook photos of Ridon and former DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez, disclosing sensitive personal information.

Ridon sought clarity from National Privacy Commission (NPC) Deputy Commissioner John Henry Naga regarding the legality of Estrada's actions. Naga affirmed that sharing personal details such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and photographs without consent constitutes a breach of the DPA.

Ridon questioned whether the third party responsible for posting the data on social media could be held liable for unauthorized disclosure. Naga responded, "It may be unauthorized processing or unauthorized disclosure, your honor," and emphasized that violators face imprisonment ranging from one to three years, fines between P500,000 and P1 million, and if a public official is involved, possible temporary or permanent disqualification from office.

Ridon explained that Estrada's post linked him and Hernandez—who is a whistleblower highlighting alleged ghost and substandard projects in Bulacan—to a controversial flood control case. The post revealed Ridon's birth date, telephone number, and his grandmother's address, raising questions about privacy violations.

When pressed if the NPC would consider this a breach, Naga refrained from giving an immediate judgment, citing the need to avoid prejudging a case that might be formally filed with their office.

Ridon emphasized that the image used was a childhood photo of himself at 12 years old and expressed concern over the apparent disregard for privacy implications. He suggested that aside from filing a formal complaint, a prompt removal of the post by Estrada might help quell tensions and redirect focus to urgent flood control issues.

Naga confirmed that even if the post is taken down, a formal complaint can still proceed.

In closing, Ridon appealed, "Hopefully, the good senator would take it down in the soonest time so we could focus on the more important matters on flood control instead of us fighting about who these kids are."