Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 12, 2026

Balce Law & Accounting ("BLA," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our clients, professionals, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173, also known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), as enforced by the National Privacy Commission (NPC) of the Philippines.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of personal information depending on your interaction with our platform:

a. Personal Information (Clients)

Full name, email address, phone number
Home or business address (including region, province, city/municipality, barangay)
Account credentials (password, stored in hashed/encrypted form)
Business information (business name, TIN, business type, registration details)
Financial records (sales entries, tax filings, bookkeeping data)
Documents uploaded to the platform (tax records, contracts, IDs, financial statements)

b. Professional Information (Accountants & Lawyers)

Full name, professional title (CPA, Atty.), email, phone number
PRC license number, IBP ID number (for lawyers)
Specialization, years of experience, professional biography
Copies of professional credentials (PRC ID, CPA Certificate, IBP ID, Diploma, Government ID)
Address and contact details

c. Automatically Collected Information

Browser type, device information, and operating system
IP address and approximate location
Pages visited, time spent, and navigation patterns
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7)

2. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, we process your personal data based on the following lawful criteria:

Consent — You provide your information voluntarily when registering or applying to the platform.
Contractual Necessity — Processing is necessary to provide our accounting and legal services, manage engagements, process invoices, and facilitate appointments.
Legitimate Interest — We may process data for platform improvement, fraud prevention, and security purposes.
Legal Obligation — We may process data to comply with applicable Philippine laws, including tax regulations (NIRC), anti-money laundering laws (AMLA), and orders from competent authorities.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To create and manage your user account
To verify the identity and credentials of professional applicants (accountants and lawyers)
To facilitate engagements between clients and professionals
To process appointments, invoices, and payments
To provide bookkeeping, tax compliance, and document management services
To send notifications, reminders, and service-related communications
To process service orders for business registration packages
To improve our platform, features, and user experience
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements
To prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and other security threats

4. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your data only in the following circumstances:

With Assigned Professionals — Your information is shared with accountants or lawyers assigned to your engagements solely for the purpose of providing services.
With Platform Administrators — Our admin and staff team may access your data to manage engagements, verify payments, and provide support.
With Government Authorities — When required by law, court order, or regulatory mandate (e.g., BIR, SEC, NPC, courts of law).
With Service Providers — Third-party service providers who assist with hosting, payment processing, or technical operations, subject to confidentiality agreements.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate organizational, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal data, including:

Passwords are stored using industry-standard bcrypt hashing and are never stored in plain text
All data transmissions are encrypted using HTTPS/TLS protocols
Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis
Role-based access controls ensure users can only access data relevant to their function
Regular security reviews and updates to our infrastructure
Uploaded documents are stored securely with controlled access

While we take reasonable precautions, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong, unique passwords and to protect your account credentials.

6. Your Rights Under the Data Privacy Act

As a data subject under R.A. 10173, you have the following rights:

Right to Be Informed — You have the right to know how your personal data is being collected, used, and processed.
Right to Access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification — You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to Erasure or Blocking — You may request the deletion or blocking of your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to legal retention requirements.
Right to Data Portability — You may request your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
Right to Object — You may object to the processing of your personal data, including processing for direct marketing purposes.
Right to File a Complaint — You have the right to lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) if you believe your data privacy rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the details provided in Section 10 below. We will respond to your request within thirty (30) days.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our platform uses cookies and similar technologies to:

Maintain your login session and authentication state
Remember your preferences and settings
Analyze platform usage to improve our services

These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of the platform. By using our platform, you consent to the use of these cookies. You may configure your browser to reject cookies, but this may affect your ability to use certain features of the platform.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including:

Active accounts — data is retained for the duration of the account relationship
Professional applications — retained for a minimum of five (5) years for audit and verification purposes
Financial and tax records — retained for a minimum of ten (10) years as required by the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) and BIR regulations
Legal case documents — retained as required by applicable rules of court and legal obligations
Invoices and payment records — retained for a minimum of ten (10) years per NIRC requirements

Upon expiration of the retention period or upon your valid request for erasure (subject to legal requirements), your personal data will be securely deleted or anonymized.

9. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for use by individuals under the age of eighteen (18). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we discover that a minor has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal data to us, please contact us immediately.

10. Data Privacy Officer & Contact Information

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, you may contact our Data Privacy Officer (DPO):

Balce Law & Accounting

Data Privacy Officer

Camarines Norte, Philippines

Email: [email protected]

You may also file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission at https://privacy.gov.ph.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify registered users of any material changes through the platform's notification system or via email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this Privacy Policy was last revised. Your continued use of the platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

Republic Act No. 10173 — Data Privacy Act of 2012