Pahibalo ("Pahibalo", "we", "us", or "our") provides alerts about scheduled power and water interruptions in Cebu, Philippines. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the rights you have under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173), its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and issuances of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).
The short version: we collect only what we need to send you alerts for the areas you choose. We do not sell your personal information, we do not use advertising trackers, and you can ask us to delete your data at any time.
1. Scope
This policy applies to the website at pahibalo.com, the Pahibalo alert service (the alerts page at pahibalo.com/alerts, the app you can add to your home screen, and our server at api.pahibalo.com), and any mobile apps or communication channels we add later.
2. Information we collect
Information you give us
- Email messages. If you email us, for example with a question or a request for a new area, we receive your email address, your name if included, and the contents of your message.
- Alert choices. When you turn on alerts, you choose up to 10 barangays, the types of alerts you want (power, water, or both), and whether you want Hard-to-miss alerts. You do not give us your name, email address, or phone number to receive alerts.
- Optional account details. If we later offer accounts or business plans, we may collect your name, email address, mobile number, and business details that you choose to provide.
Information collected automatically
- Push subscription. If you allow notifications, your browser gives us a push subscription: a web address at your browser's push service (for example Google, Apple, Mozilla, or Microsoft) plus encryption keys, which together let us deliver alerts to that browser or device. It does not reveal your name, phone number, or location. We store it encrypted, linked only to your alert choices.
- Delivery records. For each alert we send, we record which alert went to which push subscription, when it was sent, whether delivery succeeded, and, for Hard-to-miss alerts, when you tapped "Got it" or opened it. This prevents duplicate alerts, lets us stop reminders once you have seen an alert, and helps us fix delivery problems. We also keep a count of failed deliveries and the time of the last successful one for each subscription.
- Server logs. Like most websites, our hosting provider records standard technical information when you visit, such as IP address, browser type, date and time, and pages requested. Our server also uses your IP address briefly to limit how many requests can be made, which protects the service from abuse. We use this information only for security, troubleshooting, and preventing abuse.
Information we do not collect
- We do not access your precise GPS location. You choose your areas yourself.
- We do not collect your contacts, photos, or files.
- We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by the Data Privacy Act.
3. How we use your information
We use personal information only for the following purposes:
- To send you alerts about scheduled interruptions in the barangays you choose, including updates and cancellations, and, if you turned on Hard-to-miss alerts, up to 3 reminders until you mark an alert as seen.
- To reply to your messages and provide support.
- To tell you when Pahibalo launches in your area, if you asked us to.
- To keep the service secure, prevent misuse, and fix problems.
- To understand, in aggregate and anonymized form, how many people follow each area, so we can improve coverage. These summaries never identify you.
- To comply with legal obligations.
We will not send you marketing messages unless you separately agree to receive them.
4. Legal basis for processing
We process your personal information based on your consent, which you give when you subscribe to alerts, allow notifications, or contact us. Where applicable, we also rely on the need to provide a service you requested and on our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure. You may withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing, turning off notifications, or contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that happened before you withdrew it.
5. Sharing and disclosure
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share it only in these limited cases:
| Recipient | Why |
|---|---|
| Hosting and email providers | To run the website, store data, and send or receive email. |
| Notification delivery services | Browser and device platforms (for example, the push services operated by Google, Apple, Mozilla, or Microsoft) deliver notifications to your device using your push subscription. The alert text is encrypted so that only your browser can read it; the push service sees only that a message was sent. |
| Authorities | When required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or the public. |
Service providers process data only on our instructions and under appropriate data protection obligations. Some providers may store data outside the Philippines. When this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information receives protection comparable to that required by Philippine law.
6. Retention
- Push subscriptions and alert choices are kept while alerts are on. They are deleted right away, together with their delivery records, when you choose "Turn off alerts", or when your browser's push service tells us the subscription no longer exists (for example, after you block notifications or uninstall the browser). If alerts to a subscription keep failing and none has been delivered for 12 months, we delete it automatically.
- Delivery records are deleted automatically 60 days after the alert was sent.
- Launch notification emails are kept until we have notified you of our launch, or until you ask us to delete them.
- Support emails are kept for up to 2 years, then deleted, unless we need them longer to resolve a dispute or meet a legal obligation.
- Server logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting, and for no longer than our hosting provider's standard log retention period.
7. Security
We use reasonable organizational, physical, and technical measures to protect your personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), restricted access to data, and keeping our systems updated. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to put you at risk, we will notify you and the National Privacy Commission as required by law.
8. 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, including withdrawing your consent.
- Correct inaccurate or outdated information.
- Erase or block your personal information.
- Data portability, meaning a copy of your data in a commonly used electronic format.
- Damages for harm caused by inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, false, unlawfully obtained, or unauthorized use of personal information.
- File a complaint with the National Privacy Commission at privacy.gov.ph (opens in a new tab).
To exercise any of these rights, email support@pahibalo.com. We may ask you to verify your identity, and we will respond within a reasonable time.
9. Minors
Pahibalo is designed for households and is safe for all ages, but we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent of a parent or guardian. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian before subscribing or contacting us. If you believe a child has given us personal information without consent, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Cookies and on-device storage
This website does not use cookies, advertising trackers, analytics, or third-party embeds. Our fonts are hosted on our own server.
To work properly, the website saves a few settings in your browser's own storage (local storage and the service worker's cache). These stay on your device, are never used to track you, and you can remove them at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser settings:
- Color theme: whether you chose the light or dark look.
- Alert choices (on the alerts page only): your chosen barangays, alert types, and the Hard-to-miss setting, so the page remembers them and the notification handler on your device knows how to show alerts.
Your alert choices are sent to our server only when you turn on alerts or save changes, as described in section 2. If we later add analytics or cookies, we will update this policy and, where required, ask for your consent first.
11. Accuracy of alerts
Pahibalo is an independent service and is not affiliated with any electric or water utility. Alerts are based on advisories published by utilities, which may change without notice. Always check your utility's official advisory for final details.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as Pahibalo grows, for example when the alert service launches. We will post the updated version on this page and change the "Last updated" date. If we make significant changes, we will notify subscribers before they take effect.
13. Contact us
For questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy, contact our Data Protection Officer:
Pahibalo
Cebu, Philippines
Email: support@pahibalo.com