Privacy Notice
Version 2026-10-13-draft1 · Last updated October 13, 2026
This notice explains, in plain language, what personal information PHBookDoc collects, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and your rights under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and issuances of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).
- 1. Who we are
- 2. What we collect
- 3. Why we use it and our legal basis
- 4. Who we share it with
- 5. Transfers outside the Philippines
- 6. How long we keep it
- 7. How we protect it
- 8. Your rights
- 9. Cookies
- 10. Minors
- 11. Data breaches
- 12. Changes to this notice
- 13. Contact us
1. Who we are
PHBookDoc is an online service that lets patients find doctors in the Philippines and book clinic visits, and lets doctors manage their clinic schedules. The personal information controller is:
- Company: [TO FILL: registered company / business name] ([TO FILL: SEC or DTI registration no.])
- Address: [TO FILL: registered business address]
- Data Protection Officer (DPO): [TO FILL: DPO name], [TO FILL: DPO email], [TO FILL: DPO phone]
- NPC registration: [TO FILL: NPC registration no., if required]
Doctors and clinics who use PHBookDoc are separate controllers of the medical records they keep about you at their clinic. This notice covers only what PHBookDoc processes.
2. What we collect
| Who | Information |
|---|---|
| Patients | Full name, email, mobile number, province and city, password (stored only as a one-way hash), bookings (doctor, date, time, status), cancellations and refund requests, and whether you verified your email or mobile. We do not ask for your diagnosis or medical history. |
| Doctors | Full name, email, mobile number, specialty, PRC license number, clinic name, address and location, consultation fee, weekly schedule and blocked dates, and uploaded PRC ID and clinic or business permit images or PDFs. These documents are stored privately and are seen only by our verification staff. We also keep verification decisions and reasons. |
| Walk-in patients (entered by a clinic) | Name and mobile number entered by the doctor or clinic staff to book an in-person visit, plus the booking details. The clinic is responsible for telling you about this. We use the number only to send booking SMS. |
| Ratings and reviews | Star ratings, comments and tags that patients give doctors, and that doctors give patients after a visit. A doctor's average rating and patient comments (shown with first name only) may be public. Ratings of patients are visible only to doctors you book with, as a reliability indicator. |
| Payments | Payments are processed by PayMongo. We never see or store your full card, GCash, Maya or bank details. We receive and keep payment metadata: amount, payment method type, PayMongo payment/checkout IDs, status, and refund status. |
| Messages | A log of the SMS and emails we send you (recipient, message type, delivery status). One-time codes and password reset links are not kept in readable form. |
| Technical data | IP address, browser type, and timestamps in server and security logs (for example, failed log-in attempts used for rate limiting). |
3. Why we use it and our legal basis
| Purpose | Legal basis (RA 10173, Sec. 12 and 13) |
|---|---|
| Create and secure your account; verify your email and mobile; reset your password | Necessary to provide the service you asked for (contract); legitimate interest in security |
| Book, confirm, reschedule and cancel visits; tell the doctor who is coming | Contract; your consent |
| Verify that doctors hold a valid PRC license and clinic permit | Legitimate interest in patient safety; legal obligation where applicable; the doctor's consent |
| Collect the booking fee and process refunds | Contract; legal obligation (tax and accounting records) |
| Send booking confirmations, changes and reminders by SMS and email | Contract; reminders can be turned off in Settings |
| Show ratings and reliability; moderate content | Legitimate interest in a trustworthy service; consent |
| Prevent fraud and abuse; keep the service running | Legitimate interest |
| Respond to lawful requests from authorities | Legal obligation |
The fact that you booked a particular doctor or specialty may reveal health-related information, which is sensitive personal information under the law. We process it only with your consent and only to arrange your visit. We do not sell your personal information and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
4. Who we share it with
- The doctor or clinic you book with: your name, mobile number, booking details and your reliability rating.
- Service providers acting for us (personal information processors): PayMongo (payments), Semaphore (SMS), Resend (email), and Fly.io (hosting). They may use your data only to provide their service to us, under contract.
- Authorities: when required by law, court order, or to protect someone's life or safety.
- Business transfers: if PHBookDoc is merged or sold, your data may move to the new owner under this same notice.
5. Transfers outside the Philippines
Our servers are hosted by Fly.io in Singapore, so your information is transferred and stored outside the Philippines. Our email provider (Resend) may process emails in [TO FILL: Resend processing region, e.g. United States]. We stay accountable for this data under RA 10173 and require these providers to protect it with safeguards comparable to Philippine law.
6. How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Account details | While your account is active, then deleted or anonymized within [TO FILL: e.g. 90 days] after you close it, unless the law requires us to keep it longer |
| Bookings and payment records | [TO FILL: e.g. 10 years] for tax and accounting rules (National Internal Revenue Code / BIR requirements) |
| Doctor PRC IDs and permits | While the doctor is listed, then up to [TO FILL: e.g. 1 year] after account closure for verification audit |
| Ratings and reviews | While both accounts exist; removed or anonymized when an account is deleted |
| Message logs | [TO FILL: e.g. 1 year] |
| Security logs and failed log-in records | Up to 2 hours for rate limiting; server logs up to [TO FILL: e.g. 30 days] |
| One-time codes and reset links | Expire in 10 minutes (codes) or 1 hour (reset links); verification links in 48 hours |
7. How we protect it
Encrypted HTTPS connections; passwords stored as strong one-way hashes; one-time codes stored hashed with limited attempts; doctor documents stored privately and shown only to authorized staff; role-based access; protection against cross-site request forgery; log-in rate limiting; and signing out other devices when you change your password. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password that you don't use elsewhere.
8. Your rights
Under RA 10173 you have the right to be informed; to access your data; to object to processing; to correct inaccurate data; to erasure or blocking; to data portability (a copy in a common electronic format); to withdraw consent; to damages; and to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (privacy.gov.ph).
How to use them: email our DPO at [TO FILL: DPO email] from your account email, saying what you want. We may ask you to confirm your identity. We aim to reply within [TO FILL: e.g. 15 working days]. You can turn off reminders and change your password yourself in Settings. Withdrawing consent or deleting your account may mean we can no longer provide bookings, and some records must be kept for legal reasons as listed above.
9. Cookies
We use only one essential cookie: a session cookie that keeps you logged in and protects forms from forgery. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not use third-party analytics. [TO FILL: update if analytics are ever added]
10. Minors
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. A parent or legal guardian may book visits for a minor using their own account; by doing so, the parent or guardian consents to the processing of the minor's information needed for the booking. If we learn that a minor created an account, we will close it.
11. Data breaches
If a personal data breach is likely to put you at real risk of serious harm, we will notify the National Privacy Commission and affected people within 72 hours of knowing about it, as required by NPC Circular 16-03 (and later issuances), and tell you what happened and what you can do.
12. Changes to this notice
We may update this notice. The version and date are shown at the top. If a change is significant, we will tell you by email or on the site before it takes effect, and ask for your consent again where the law requires.
13. Contact us
Data Protection Officer: [TO FILL: DPO name] · [TO FILL: DPO email] · [TO FILL: DPO phone] · [TO FILL: registered business address]
See also our Terms of Service.