FMH

Privacy Statement

For Follosco Morallos and Herce (“We”, “FMH”, or the “Firm”), the protection of Personal Data lies at the core of its business.  FMH processes Personal Data of individuals in providing legal services to clients and for its own internal business processes such as recruitment of employees, payroll processing, and provision of benefits, among others.  Indeed, data privacy is an organizational effort and the involvement and cooperation of each, and every stakeholder is vital.

In this regard, FMH ensures strict compliance with Republic Act No.  10173, otherwise known as “The Data Privacy Act of 2012” (“DPA”), its Implementing Rules and Regulations (“IRR”), and the various issuances and policies of the National Privacy Commission (“NPC”) (collectively, the “DPA and IRR”). 

In this Privacy Statement, you will know how we process your Personal Data, the risks involved in the processing, and how we protect them.  We want you to know what data we have on you, how you can access your Personal Data, and when necessary, how you can correct or have the said data deleted.  In case you have a complaint or concern regarding your privacy, we undertake to address the same immediately. 

Scope and Application

We may collect your Personal Data, which can either be Personal Information, including Sensitive Personal Information, when you avail of our services or contact us via our emails, through online job search engines (e.g., JobStreet), when you are within our office premises, or when you submit to us your curriculum vitae, application letters, and other similar, related, or supporting documents for employment purposes. 

By submitting your Personal Data to FMH through any of the mentioned means, or by availing of FMH’s services, you consent to the processing of your Personal Data as stated in this Privacy Notice.  Under the DPA and IRR, “processing” includes the collection, recording, organization, storage, updating, modification, retrieval, consultation, use, consolidation, blocking, erasure, and destruction of data. 

If you do not agree with any provision of this Privacy Notice, please do not provide FMH with your Personal Data.  However, FMH may not be able to provide you with the services requiring the use of such Personal Data. 

Personal Data that FMH Collects

FMH collects your Personal Data, which includes your name, mobile phone number, landline, residential address, email address, passport details, ID numbers, and references, among others, in order to provide you with legal services or employment

Some Personal Information that you will provide may be considered Sensitive Personal Information[1] under the DPA.  This includes your age, race, marital status, health, education, employment history, and social security number, among others.  FMH will collect, use or disclose your Sensitive Personal Information only in accordance with the DPA and the IRR, and only after it has obtained your prior written consent.

The Firm may also collect Personal Data of parties related to the parties it is directly dealing with.  In the case of clients, the Firm may collect the Personal Data of employees, contractors, representatives, officers, directors, or clients of the business necessary to perform the contracted legal work.  In the case of employees, the Firm may also collect the Personal Data of their dependents/beneficiaries, emergency contact persons, spouse, and/or children.

How FMH Collects Personal Data

FMH generally collects Personal Data directly from you when you:

• engage our services via the telephone, email, or through our forms, both printed and digital;
• communicate with FMH employees in person, by telephone, letter, email, or via online job search engines;
• submit to us your curriculum vitae, application letters, and other similar, related, or supporting documents for purposes of availing of our services or for employment; and
• submit any other information in connection with your application or queries.
  

FMH also collects your Personal Data from third parties which we contact for specific purposes, such as in the following instances:

• verification from banking institutions, if necessary;
• from the references you have provided;
• verification from academic institutions, professional associations, and/or licensing bodies of the educational and professional qualifications you have stated in your curriculum vitae;
• inquiries with former employers and co-workers;
• performance feedback, including any administrative proceedings you were involved in at the workplace; and/or
• information on any investigation, professional license disciplinary matter, or criminal, civil or other legal proceedings in which you are or were involved.

How FMH May Use and the Purpose of Processing of Your Personal Data

Personal Data collected and received by FMH shall be used and processed to provide you with legal services, and/or other related services, which may include:

• the verification or vetting of your credentials and other Personal Data, for processing of applications in relation to immigration or legal services requested;
• responding to your inquiries or concerns;
• communicating with you any relevant information regarding our services;
• the endorsement of your Personal Data to FMH’s internal departments and external partners or contractors;
• for other purposes for which you have availed of FMH’s services;
• to comply with the legal obligation to which FMH is subject;
• to comply with the requirements of public order and safety;
• to be able to comply with requirements to respond to exercise of the rights of the data subjects; and
• to exercise its legitimate business interests.

Personal Data collected and received by FMH in connection with employment are used in order to vet your qualification for recruitment, payroll processing, benefits and compensation management, appraise and evaluate employee performance, enroll for HMO and insurance benefits, escalate grievance, personnel management, sharing of employee information with government agencies, approval of employee’s sick and vacation leave, and training and career benefits.

How FMH May Disclose or Share Personal Data with Third Parties

FMH will only share your Personal Data with third parties who have proper interest and only with your consent, unless permitted or required by law.  FMH shall take reasonable steps to ensure that third parties are bound by written agreements to use your Personal Data solely for the stated purpose and in accordance with FMH’s instructions, and to comply with the DPA and the IRR. 

FMH may share your Personal Data with third parties, such as service providers or contractors engaged to perform services on FMH’s behalf, including IT consultants conducting testing and development work on FMH’s IT systems.  While rendering legal services, we may need to provide your Personal Data to our partners, contractors, persons/government agencies we need to deal with for the purpose of doing the service that you have contracted us to provide.  Personal Data that we collect in connection with your employment may be shared or provided to contracted payroll service providers, clients of the Firm for whom you may be tasked to render work for, and government agencies in connection with various compliance requirements.

Consequence of Refusal to Provide Personal Data

When you refuse to provide or decide to withdraw your Personal Data, FMH will be unable to provide you with our legal services or employment, as the case may be. 

Risks in the Processing of Your Personal Data

There are inherent risks that may compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Personal Data, whether in digital or physical media, provided in connection with employment or legal and related services (such as consultancy, regulatory compliance, and corporate administration) to be rendered by the Firm.  These risks include unauthorized access, data breaches, cyberattacks, and potential misuse, which may affect electronic records, databases, paper documents, and other sensitive files.  While we implement stringent physical, technical, and organizational security measures to protect personal data, and adopted and observe robust policies and procedures for data security to mitigate these risks, ensuring compliance with relevant data privacy laws, regulations, and industry standards, absolute protection cannot be guaranteed.  

Personal Data Protection, Security and Retention

A.)  Security

FMH implements appropriate organizational, physical and technical measures to protect your Personal Data against any accidental or unlawful/unauthorized destruction, alteration and disclosure, fraudulent misuse, as well as against any other unlawful/unauthorized processing.  Measures taken by FMH to ensure the protection of your Personal Data include the following:

• trainings and seminars for employees are conducted to ensure that they know how to keep your Personal Data safe and secure at all times;
• locks are installed, filing cabinets are securely locked, and security systems are in place in FMH’s office premises;
• computer passwords are in use to limit access to shared network drives;
• passwords and other encryption methods are in use to protect files and electronic documents from unauthorized sharing/disclosure;
• access to hard copies of documents containing Personal Data is limited to only specifically authorized staff;
• data integrity audits are conducted;
• firewalls and virus scanning tools are in use to prevent unauthorized access into the system; and
• proper tracking of movement and transfer of custody of files containing Personal Data is being observed.
  

B.) Storage and Retention

FMH stores Personal Data in our computers and servers in a secure environment, and those contained in paper-based files are kept inside secure premises or locked filing areas. FMH will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the stated purpose or for so long as may be permitted by the DPA and applicable law. When no longer required or if you ask to be removed from FMH’s systems, FMH will dispose or permanently delete your Personal Data in a secure manner

C.)  Disposal

Our disposal procedures ensure that personal data, whether in physical or electronic form, can no longer be processed or accessed by unauthorized individuals, maintaining compliance with applicable privacy regulations and legal standards.  Physical records containing personal information are securely disposed through shredding, while digital files are anonymized, permanently deleted by data overwriting, and storage devices physical destroyed through shredding, degaussing, or incineration to prevent unauthorized access or retrieval

Access, Updating, Correction, or Deletion of Your Personal Data

You can view the information we have about you by contacting us through our website or by calling or emailing us.  Please see our contact information below.  FMH may, however, deny your request for access on legal grounds which will be promptly communicated to you.

Generally, you can view your information without a fee, but if you will request for your information to be stored in a material form such as a CD or in a printed form, we may ask for a reasonable fee to cover the time we spent recording or printing your information and any photocopying or printing expense incurred by the Firm.  We will inform you of such a fee before proceeding to process your request.

In case you find that your Personal Data with FMH is incorrect or inaccurate, you may inform us of the same, and after we verify your identity and determine that your request is reasonable, we will correct the information immediately and take the necessary steps to ensure that all records pertaining to your Personal Information are corrected and updated.

FMH will likewise undertake to suspend, withdraw, block, remove or destroy your Personal Data from FMH’s personal information filing system upon your request, after we have sufficiently verified your identity and have determined the reasonableness of such request.

Transfer of Your Personal Data Outside the Philippines

FMH shall obtain your prior written consent for the transfer of your Personal Data outside the Philippines.  We will take steps to ensure that the Personal Data continues to receive a standard of protection that is at least comparable to that provided under the DPA. 

Cookies

Cookies are small amounts of information that are stored on your computer’s hard drive to make websites work more efficiently.  FMH uses cookies to make it easier for you to log on to and use FMH’s website during your future visits.  

Changes to this Privacy Notice

FMH may revise or update this Privacy Notice at any time upon posting a notice of such change or update on its website.

How to Contact Us

Regarding this notice or your privacy concerns, you may contact us through:

Atty. Trina D. Singson

 Data Protection Officer

Email dpo@fmh.ph

Telephone No. +63(2) 8889 0808

Postal Address 

Follosco Morallos & Herce

25/F 88 Corporate Center

Valero cor. Sedeňo Sts.

Salcedo Village, Makati City

Philippines 1227

We value your feedback in ensuring that our Privacy Notice remains clear, transparent, and aligned with your expectations. If you have any suggestions or concerns regarding this notice, please contact us using the details provided above.

Last updated on 23 July 2025.