BISCAST Website Policy

Policy on the Official Website and Digital Information Services

In the contemporary digital higher education environment, the official website of the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST) serves as the primary gateway, public face, academic information clearinghouse, and administrative service window for students, faculty, administrative staff, alumni, prospective enrollees, regulatory agencies, and the public.

With the rapid digital transformation of institutional operations—including Online Admissions, the Transparency Seal compliance repository, the interactive digital Student Handbook, the Student Development Services (SDS) portal, the Graduate Tracer System (GTS), and electronic procurement postings—there is an imperative necessity to establish a cohesive, standardized institutional web policy.

This policy ensures information accuracy, high system availability, institutional branding fidelity, data security, adherence to government transparency mandates, and strict compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Furthermore, it codifies administrative governance, user account management, and SuperAdmin module shutdown and service continuity protocols.

This Policy is formulated in accordance with the following relevant laws and national policies:

• Republic Act No. 10231 — An Act Converting the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology into a State College, mandating progressive leadership in sciences, education, and technology.
• Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, guaranteeing the fundamental privacy rights and security of personal data processed in institutional systems.
• Republic Act No. 8792 (Electronic Commerce Act of 2000), recognizing the validity and legal efficacy of electronic documents and digital transactions.
• Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), mandating cyber-protection mechanisms against unauthorized system breaches, alteration, or sabotage.
• Republic Act No. 11032 (Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018), directing electronic access to institutional services.
• Executive Order No. 02, s. 2016 — Operationalizing the People’s Right to Information (Freedom of Information).
• Philippine Government Web Standards (PGWS) issued by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

BISCAST is committed to maintaining an inclusive, secure, transparent, and resilient digital web ecosystem that advances scientific technological education and public service. All digital content and web-enabled services published under the official BISCAST web domains shall adhere to the highest benchmarks of veracity, intellectual integrity, accessibility, and institutional branding.

The objectives of this Policy are as follows:

• Establish formal governance, editorial standards, and publication workflows for the official website (biscast.edu.ph) and all constituent sub-portals;
• Define hierarchical administrative roles, privileges, and accountabilities of website administrators (SuperAdmin, SCPRO, SDS, IPO, Library, Alumni, and Academic Colleges);
• Standardize the protocol for system maintenance, service shutdown, and module-level downtime notices to prevent user disruption and maintain public confidence;
• Protect personal and sensitive personal data of students, faculty, alumni, and stakeholders in full alignment with RA 10173;
• Ensure sustained institutional compliance with mandatory government disclosure repositories (Transparency Seal, Citizen's Charter, and BAC Bids);
• Guarantee digital accessibility, multi-device mobile readiness, and high-performance server uptime.

This Policy shall govern all academic colleges, institutes, academic support units, administrative divisions, student organizations, research centers, officers, faculty members, non-teaching personnel, contractual staff, and external visitors who create, manage, edit, approve, publish, or interact with digital content and web services on biscast.edu.ph and its affiliated subdomains.

• College / Institution — The Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST).
• Official Website — The digital web portal reachable via biscast.edu.ph, including its sub-directories and integrated service areas.
• SuperAdmin — The highest-level administrative role vested with authority over web infrastructure, module status, database maintenance, security controls, and user accounts.
• Content Administrator — Designated office or departmental personnel authorized to curate and update content in specific modules (e.g., SCPRO, SDS, Planning Office, Library, Alumni).
• System Module — An autonomous operational division of the website (e.g., SDS, GTS, Admissions, News, Transparency Seal, Student Handbook, Colleges, BAC).
• Module Shutdown / Maintenance Mode — The deliberate, controlled temporary suspension of public access to a specific module (or entire website) for scheduled maintenance or upgrades, accompanied by an aesthetic institutional advisory.
• Personal Data — Any information from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained.

All news items, circulars, office memoranda, and academic announcements must be vetted and authorized by the respective Office Head or Dean prior to upload. Institutional news and press releases shall be coordinated through the Strategic Communication and Public Relations Office (SCPRO) to preserve institutional voice and branding uniformity.

Administrative accounts shall be provisioned strictly in accordance with official job functions. Sharing of account credentials is strictly prohibited. All administrators must utilize strong passwords and must update default credentials upon initial login.

The SuperAdmin holds exclusive authority to monitor, shut down, or run specific website modules. When a module is undergoing technical maintenance, database tuning, or content overhaul:

• The SuperAdmin shall activate Module Shutdown mode for the affected section;
• The website shall automatically present an aesthetic, professional institutional notification informing visitors of the scheduled maintenance, estimated availability time, and direct support contacts;
• SuperAdmin accounts retain bypass access for continuous administrative testing and real-time validation;
• Every shutdown, resumption, or configuration change is automatically logged in the system's Activity Log audit trail.

Under no circumstances shall student grades, home addresses, personal phone numbers, or government-issued identification numbers be published on publicly accessible pages without written legal consent in accordance with RA 10173. Cookies are strictly restricted to performance measurement and session security.

All official seals, heraldic crests, photographic archives, institutional logos, flipbooks, and research compendiums published on the site remain the intellectual property of BISCAST or are credited properly to their creators. Unauthorized reproduction or commercial utilization without prior written consent is strictly prohibited.

Annual requirements for web hosting, cloud infrastructure, domain name renewals, SSL certificates, security vulnerability scans, database backups, and technical capacity-building shall be funded through the College's Institutional General Fund, the Special Trust Fund (STF), and the Annual Procurement Plan (APP).

• Office of the President — Executive leadership, overall institutional supervision, and policy endorsement.
• Management Information System (MIS) / ICT Unit & SuperAdmin — Server hosting, database integrity, cybersecurity protection, module shutdown/run execution, and access control.
• Strategic Communication and Public Relations Office (SCPRO) — Editorial supervision of campus news, official press releases, photo assets, and institutional branding.
• Institutional Planning Office (IPO) — Maintenance and timely compliance of Transparency Seal disclosures and Citizen's Charter.
• Student Development Services (SDS) — Administration of student organizations, activity calendars, memoranda, and digital handbook viewer.
• Colleges & Academic Units — Accuracy of degree program curricula, departmental descriptions, and faculty rosters.

Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Policy, the Management Information System / ICT Unit, in consultation with the SCPRO, the Legal Unit, and the Institutional Planning Office, shall formulate the rules and regulations to fully implement the provisions of this Policy.

If, for any reason, any part or provision of this Policy is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full force and effect.

All policies, memoranda, and other issuances contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Policy are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

This Policy shall take effect immediately upon approval of the Governing Board (Board of Trustees) of the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology.

• Annex A — DICT Philippine Government Web Standards (PGWS) Checklist
• Annex B — BISCAST Web Style, Typography & Heraldic Branding Guidelines
• Annex C — Website Module Shutdown and Incident Response Matrix
• Annex D — Institutional Data Privacy & Disclosure Consent Forms

Republic Act No. 10231; Republic Act No. 10173; Republic Act No. 8792; Republic Act No. 10175; DICT PGWS Guidelines; Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual of BISCAST; BISCAST College Code and Student Handbook.

Approval of the Governing Board (Board of Trustees) of the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology.