This notice explains how the Municipal Tourism Office of LGU Mercedes (the “Tourism Office,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) processes personal data through the iTour Mercedes website in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and applicable National Privacy Commission issuances.
1. Who is responsible for your data
The Municipal Tourism Office of LGU Mercedes, Municipal Hall, Mercedes, Camarines Norte, operates iTour Mercedes and acts as the personal information controller for data it determines how and why to process. Hotels, resorts, tour operators, tour guides, boat operators, PayMongo, Google, and other service providers may separately act as controllers or processors under their own privacy notices.
2. Personal data we collect
- Account and identity data: name, email address, phone number, profile image, account identifiers, and Google account details when you choose Google sign-in.
- Booking data: selected accommodation or tour service, destinations, travel dates, meeting or jump-off point, number of adults and children, child-age information, add-ons, special requests, payment choice, and booking status.
- Payment and refund data: amounts, payment status, transaction references, and refund destination details when needed. Payment credentials entered on PayMongo's checkout are processed by PayMongo under its own terms and privacy notice.
- Communications and reports: questions, reviews, favorites, complaints or incident reports, related photographs, persons involved, and your preferred contact method.
- Technical and usage data: IP address, browser and device details, security and session data, notification tokens, pages or features used, and essential cookies or similar browser storage.
Please do not include sensitive personal information in free-text fields or uploads unless it is necessary for your booking, complaint, safety, or a legal requirement.
3. Why and on what basis we process data
We process only data reasonably necessary to create and secure accounts; search for, request, manage, and support bookings; calculate prices and availability; process payments, deposits, cancellations, and refunds; send service and booking notifications; connect you with the selected provider; respond to inquiries, complaints, and incidents; prevent fraud and misuse; keep required government, audit, financial, and operational records; improve the service; and comply with law.
Depending on the activity, processing is based on your consent, steps requested before entering into a booking, performance of a booking or service arrangement, compliance with a legal obligation, protection of lawful rights and interests, or another basis permitted by law. You may withdraw consent where consent is the basis, but this does not affect earlier lawful processing and may prevent us from providing the related optional feature.
4. When data is shared
We may disclose only the data needed to the hotel, resort, tour operator, guide, boat operator, or other provider involved in your request; payment and refund providers such as PayMongo; hosting, email, security, authentication, maps, notification, and technical-service providers; authorized Tourism Office or LGU personnel; and regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies, emergency responders, or other authorities when required or permitted by law. We do not sell personal data.
Some providers may process data outside the Philippines. Where this occurs, we require or rely on appropriate contractual, organizational, and technical safeguards as applicable, while the provider's own privacy notice may also govern its processing.
5. Cookies and similar technology
The website uses session, security, preference, and functionality storage needed for sign-in, booking continuity, fraud prevention, notifications, and core operation. Third-party features may set their own storage. A separate cookie notice and consent control will be provided where required; this policy does not by itself authorize non-essential tracking.
6. Retention and disposal
We retain identifiable data only for as long as necessary for the purpose stated above, the life of an active account or booking, resolution of a complaint or refund, applicable LGU record schedules, audit and accounting duties, legal prescription periods, or the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims. When retention is no longer justified, records are securely deleted, anonymized, or disposed of, subject to lawful archival obligations.
7. Security
We use reasonable organizational, physical, and technical safeguards appropriate to the nature and risk of the data, including access controls, protected sessions and transmissions, validation, logging, and restricted administrative access. No internet service can promise absolute security. If a reportable personal-data breach occurs, we will notify the National Privacy Commission and affected individuals as required by law.
8. Your rights
Subject to the Data Privacy Act and lawful limitations, you may exercise the rights to be informed, object, access, rectify, erase or block data, obtain data portability where applicable, claim damages, and file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission. We may verify your identity before acting on a request. A parent, guardian, lawful heir, or properly authorized representative may exercise rights when permitted by law.
9. Children
A booking must be made by a person legally able to enter into it. When an adult provides a child's age or other necessary details for a family booking, the adult confirms that they are the parent, legal guardian, or otherwise authorized to provide that information. Do not create a child account or submit unnecessary information about a child.
10. Contact and complaints
For privacy questions or a data-subject request, contact the Municipal Tourism Office – LGU Mercedes at baliksiglamercedes@gmail.com or visit Municipal Hall, Mercedes, Camarines Norte. Please use the subject “Privacy Request” and describe the account or transaction concerned. You may also lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission.
11. Changes to this notice
We may update this notice when our practices, providers, or legal duties change. Material changes will be presented on the website before or when they take effect, and renewed consent will be requested where legally required.
These Terms & Conditions govern your use of iTour Mercedes and any booking request submitted through the website. By creating an account, submitting a booking, or continuing to use the service, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms.
1. The service
iTour Mercedes is a tourism information and booking platform operated by the Municipal Tourism Office of LGU Mercedes. It helps visitors discover destinations and request accommodations, packages, guides, boats, and related services supplied by participating providers. Unless expressly stated, the Tourism Office does not itself own or operate the listed hotel, resort, guide, boat, or tour service.
2. Eligibility and account responsibility
You must have legal capacity to make a booking. You are responsible for accurate, complete, and current information; safeguarding your account and device; and promptly reporting suspected unauthorized use. You may not impersonate another person, create fraudulent bookings, interfere with the website, scrape protected information, upload unlawful or harmful material, or use the service in a way that violates law or another person's rights.
3. Listings, availability, and confirmation
Photos, descriptions, schedules, inclusions, restrictions, availability, and prices are provided or approved by participating providers and may change. Search results and submission of a request do not guarantee availability. A booking becomes confirmed only when the website or responsible provider issues confirmation and any required payment is successfully recorded. Review the confirmation and promptly report errors.
4. Prices, deposits, and other charges
The checkout summary shows the price and amount due through the website. A full payment or partial deposit may be offered. Entrance, environmental, docking, transport, activity, damage, incidental, or other provider charges may apply when clearly disclosed in the booking flow or lawfully incurred during the service. You remain responsible for any balance identified in your booking.
5. Payments
Online payments are handled through PayMongo or another displayed payment channel and are also subject to that provider's terms. Do not close or repeat a payment while its status is being verified. A payment receipt is not by itself a guarantee that a provider can fulfill the booking; if fulfillment is not possible, the cancellation and refund process applies.
6. Changes, cancellations, no-shows, and refunds
The booking-specific cancellation deadline, refund amount, deposit treatment, rescheduling rule, and provider policy shown before checkout or in your booking record form part of these terms and control for that booking. Requests are subject to verification and provider approval where stated. Payment-provider processing times, bank delays, and lawfully non-refundable amounts may apply. A provider-initiated cancellation will be handled under the displayed policy and applicable law. Contact the Tourism Office promptly if a service is not delivered as confirmed.
7. Traveler duties and safety
You must follow lawful instructions, environmental and protected-area rules, capacity and age restrictions, check-in or assembly times, and reasonable safety requirements of the LGU and provider. Give accurate health, accessibility, and emergency information when reasonably necessary for safe service. Travel, weather, sea conditions, force majeure, government restrictions, and safety decisions may require delay, substitution, rescheduling, or cancellation.
8. Provider services and complaints
Participating providers remain responsible for delivering their listed services with due care and in accordance with applicable law. First raise service issues promptly with the provider or Tourism Office so they can be documented and addressed. You may use the website's complaint and incident form; urgent danger or medical emergencies should be reported to local emergency services first.
9. Reviews, messages, and uploaded content
You retain ownership of content you submit. You grant the Tourism Office a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, and use it only as reasonably needed to operate, moderate, investigate, improve, and lawfully promote the service. Submit only content you have the right to share. We may remove content that is false, unlawful, abusive, unsafe, privacy-invasive, infringing, or unrelated.
10. Website availability and responsibility
We aim to keep information and systems accurate and available but cannot guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access. Nothing in these terms excludes liability, warranties, remedies, or consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded. To the extent permitted by law, each party is responsible for direct loss caused by its own unlawful act, fraud, willful misconduct, or negligence; the Tourism Office is not responsible for independent provider conduct beyond duties imposed on it by law.
11. Privacy and intellectual property
Our Privacy Policy explains personal-data processing and forms part of these terms. The website's branding, design, text, databases, and software are owned by or licensed to their respective rights holders. You may use the site for personal trip planning and booking, but may not copy, sell, reverse engineer, or commercially exploit protected content without permission or a lawful exception.
12. Suspension, changes, and governing law
We may restrict access reasonably necessary to protect users, providers, public safety, or the service; investigate suspected fraud or violations; or comply with law. We may update these terms prospectively and will present material changes on the website. These terms are governed by Philippine law. Parties should first seek good-faith resolution through the Tourism Office, without limiting any right to approach a regulator, court, or other competent authority.
13. Contact
Questions about these terms may be sent to baliksiglamercedes@gmail.com or raised at the Municipal Tourism Office – LGU Mercedes, Municipal Hall, Mercedes, Camarines Norte.
This Cookie Notice explains how iTour Mercedes uses cookies and similar browser technologies when you visit or use the website. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
1. What cookies and browser storage are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website or service. The website also uses local storage and session storage, which let your browser retain information for similar purposes. In this notice, “cookies” includes these related browser-storage technologies unless stated otherwise.
2. Technologies used by iTour Mercedes
| Category | Why it is used | Typical duration |
|---|
| Strictly necessary | Maintains secure sessions, sign-in status, remembered login when you select “Remember Me,” form and request security, fraud prevention, and essential booking or payment continuity. | Usually for the browser session or until sign-out. Remembered login lasts up to 30 days; some security records may last longer. |
| Preferences and functionality | Remembers selected tabs, searches, booking details, recently viewed items, favorites, notification state, and other interface choices. | For the session or until replaced or cleared from the browser. |
| Third-party services | Supports Cloudflare Turnstile security checks, Google sign-in or other Google features, and PayMongo payment services when those features are used. | Set and controlled by the relevant provider under its own notice. |
3. Essential and optional technologies
Strictly necessary technologies support security and services you request and cannot be disabled through a consent banner without affecting core functions. Preference storage supports useful features but may be cleared through your browser. iTour Mercedes does not currently use cookies for targeted advertising. If optional analytics, advertising, or similar technologies are introduced, this notice and the planned cookie controls will be updated before they are used where consent is required.
4. Third-party services
Cloudflare, Google, and PayMongo may receive technical information and place or read cookies when their embedded features, authentication, security checks, or hosted pages are used. Their processing and retention practices are governed by their own privacy and cookie notices. External websites reached through links may also use cookies independently of iTour Mercedes.
5. Managing cookies and stored data
You can inspect, block, or delete cookies and site data through your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent sign-in, security verification, bookings, payments, saved preferences, or other website features from working correctly. Clearing site data may sign you out and remove locally saved progress or choices.
6. Personal data and your rights
Cookie and storage data may include identifiers, IP address, device and browser information, security events, preferences, and feature activity. The purposes, lawful bases, sharing, retention, safeguards, and your rights under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 are explained in the Privacy Policy tab.
7. Updates and contact
We may update this notice when website technologies or legal requirements change. Questions or requests may be sent to baliksiglamercedes@gmail.com or raised at the Municipal Tourism Office, Municipal Hall, Mercedes, Camarines Norte.
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