Who We Are

Paluwagan is developed and operated by Works of Bryan, an independent developer brand based in the Philippines. The data controller for the purposes of this policy is Works of Bryan. You can contact us at info@worksofbryan.com.

What the app is — and what it isn't

Paluwagan is a coordination and bookkeeping tool for traditional Filipino rotating savings groups. The app helps you and your group members agree on a payout order, track who has paid and who has received, and stay in sync about the current turn.

Paluwagan does not process any money. No payments, transfers, or financial transactions of any kind occur through the app. The app does not connect to bank accounts, payment networks, e-wallets, or any payment processor. All money exchanges happen between you and your group members directly, outside the app, using whatever method your group agrees on (cash, bank transfer, GCash, Maya, etc.).

Paluwagan is not a bank, money transmitter, payment processor, lender, escrow service, broker, investment vehicle, insurance provider, or any other regulated financial service. We are a tool for record-keeping and group coordination only.

Information we collect

The table below summarizes the categories of personal data the app handles. Detailed descriptions follow.

Category	Source	Purpose
Apple-issued user identifier	Sign in with Apple	Authentication
Name (optional)	Sign in with Apple, or entered by you	Display in the app and to your group
Display name and avatar color	Entered by you	Identifying you to your group members
Preferred Payout Instruction (e.g., GCash, Maya or Others)	Entered by you	Letting your group members know where to send payments
Group data	You and other members	Coordinating the paluwagan cycle
Push notification device token	Apple Push Notification service	Sending you turn reminders (only if you grant permission)
Diagnostic data	Apple-provided crash reports	Fixing bugs (anonymous, aggregated)

Information from Sign in with Apple

When you sign in, Apple shares the following with us:

• A unique Apple-issued user identifier (a string of characters; not your Apple ID email)
• Your name, if you choose to share it during sign-in

We don't collect your email at sign-in. Apple gives us a relay address instead of your real one. We never see your Apple ID password.

Information you create in the app

• Your display name (you choose this; doesn't have to be your real name)
• An avatar color you pick
• Your payment method identifier — for example, a GCash number, Maya handle, or bank account label. This is shared only with members of your own group so they know where to send your payment. We never use it to attempt any transaction.
• Groups you create or join, including their names, contribution amounts (as numbers entered by you), frequency, member list, payout order, and payment status entries (paid / received / pending)
• Timestamps of actions within a group (e.g., when a group was created, when a turn was marked paid)

What we do NOT collect

• We do not collect your email
• We do not collect your location
• We do not access your contacts, photos, microphone, or camera
• We do not collect device advertising identifiers (IDFA)
• We do not collect IP addresses for tracking or profiling (Firebase may log IP addresses transiently as part of normal operational security and abuse prevention, but we do not link them to your account or use them for advertising)
• We do not track your behavior in other apps or websites
• We do not use third-party analytics SDKs, advertising SDKs, or marketing trackers
• We do not collect, process, or transmit actual financial transactions, card numbers, bank credentials, or payment authorizations of any kind
• We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13

How your information is used

We use the information described above strictly to operate the app:

• Authenticate you when you sign in
• Show you the groups you belong to and let you participate in them
• Share your display name, avatar color, and payment method identifier with other members of the same group so the group can coordinate
• Send push notifications about turn changes and payment confirmations within your group (only if you've granted notification permission)
• Diagnose technical issues with the app via Apple's standard crash reporting (anonymous and aggregated)
• Comply with applicable law and respond to lawful requests from authorities

We do not use your information for:

• Advertising or marketing to you
• Building profiles for sale or targeting
• Selling or renting to third parties
• Cross-app or cross-website tracking

Who can see your information

• Members of the same group can see: your display name, avatar color, payout position in the group, payment method identifier, and your paid/received status for the current cycle.
• People outside your group cannot see anything about you through the app. Group data is access-restricted via server-enforced security rules.
• Works of Bryan (the developer) has technical access to the database for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and securing the service. We do not access individual group content except as necessary to investigate a reported issue or comply with law.
• We do not sell, rent, license, or share your personal data with advertisers, data brokers, or marketers.

Service providers we rely on

Paluwagan depends on a small number of third-party services to function. These are listed here in full transparency, including the categories of data each one processes on our behalf.

Apple (Sign in with Apple, Push Notifications, App Store)

Apple handles your sign-in, distributes the app via the App Store, and delivers push notifications to your device via the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). Apple's privacy practices are described at apple.com/legal/privacy.

Google Firebase (Authentication, Firestore, Cloud Functions, Cloud Messaging)

Paluwagan's backend is built on Firebase, a service provided by Google LLC. Firebase performs:

• Authentication — links your Apple sign-in to your account record
• Firestore — stores your account profile, groups, and group activity, with data hosted in the asia-southeast1 region (Singapore)
• Cloud Functions — runs our server-side logic when group state changes
• Cloud Messaging — delivers our push notifications via Apple's APNs

Firebase has its own privacy commitments described at firebase.google.com/support/privacy. Google processes operational telemetry to maintain the service but does not use the contents of your groups for advertising. Google acts as a data processor; Works of Bryan remains the data controller.

No other third parties

The app does not include analytics SDKs (no Mixpanel, Amplitude, Segment, etc.), advertising SDKs, attribution SDKs, social-media SDKs, or any other third-party tracking or measurement tools.

International data transfers

Our backend is hosted in the Google Cloud asia-southeast1region (Singapore). If you access the app from outside this region, your data is transferred internationally to be processed by Firebase. Google maintains contractual safeguards (including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable) to protect data during such transfers. By using the app, you acknowledge and consent to this international processing.

Data retention and deletion

How long we keep your data

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. Group records are kept while the group is active and for a reasonable period after the group ends so members can refer back to history. Inactive accounts may be deleted after extended periods of non-use, with prior notice where reasonably possible.

How to delete your account

You can delete your account at any time using one of these methods:

• In the app: open Profile and tap "Delete account." This option removes your account immediately.
• By email: write to info@worksofbryan.com from the email associated with your account. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.
• Through Apple: you can also revoke Sign in with Apple access via Settings → Apple ID → Sign-In & Security → Sign in with Apple → Paluwagan, which immediately stops new sign-ins.

When we delete your account:

• Your profile data (name, avatar color, payment method identifier) is removed from our active database
• Groups you organized are cancelled if still in setup; if active, the group is preserved without your personal data so the remaining members can complete their cycle
• Your membership in groups joined as a participant is removed
• Encrypted backups may retain copies for up to 30 days before being purged as part of routine backup rotation
• Some records may be retained longer where required by law, but only for the duration required and not for any operational use

Your rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you
• The right to correct inaccurate personal data
• The right to request deletion of your personal data
• The right to object to or restrict certain processing
• The right to data portability (receive your data in a structured format)
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• The right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority (e.g., the National Privacy Commission in the Philippines, or the relevant authority in the EU/UK)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@worksofbryan.com. We aim to respond within 30 days.

For users in the Philippines

This policy is intended to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173). You may lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission at privacy.gov.ph if you believe your rights have been violated.

For users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland

The legal bases on which we process your personal data are: (a) performance of a contract, (b) your consent (for optional features like push notifications), and (c) our legitimate interests (security, abuse prevention, service operation). You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

For users in California, United States

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have rights to know, delete, and correct your personal information, and to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information as defined under the CCPA.

Children's privacy

Paluwagan is intended for users 13 years of age or older. The app's content is rated 4+ in the App Store because it contains no objectionable material, but the financial coordination context makes the app most useful for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Security

We rely on industry-standard security practices:

• All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted in transit using TLS/HTTPS
• Data at rest in Firestore is encrypted by Google's infrastructure
• Access to the database is controlled by server-enforced security rules that restrict each member to their own data and their own groups
• We do not store passwords; authentication is delegated entirely to Sign in with Apple

No system is perfectly secure. If we become aware of a security incident that materially affects your personal data, we will notify affected users without undue delay and as required by applicable law.

Important disclaimers about how paluwagan works

Please read this section carefully before joining or organizing a group.

Paluwagan — both the traditional Filipino practice and this app — is built on trust between people who know each other. The app helps your group coordinate, but it cannot guarantee the behavior of any group member, the success of any cycle, or the recovery of any contribution. Specifically:

• The app does not move, hold, escrow, or process money. Every actual payment occurs between members directly, outside the app. Marking a payment as paid or received within the app is a self-reported record-keeping action, not a verified transaction.
• We do not verify the identity of any group member. You are solely responsible for inviting only people you personally know and trust into your group.
• If a member fails to contribute, pays late, or withdraws after receiving their payout, this is a dispute between the group members. The app provides no recovery mechanism, no enforcement, no escrow, no insurance, no refund, and no compulsion of any kind.
• We are not a bank, money transmitter, payment processor, lender, broker, escrow agent, insurance provider, or any other regulated financial institution.
• We do not provide dispute resolution, mediation, or arbitration between members. Disagreements should be resolved among the members themselves.
• The app is provided "as is." Use of the app is at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Works of Bryan disclaims all warranties and is not liable for any losses arising from the conduct of group members or from use of the app.

If you suspect that a group member has committed fraud or another crime, please contact your local law enforcement authorities directly. We will cooperate with lawful requests from law enforcement.

If you are not comfortable with the trust-based nature of paluwagan, or if you require legal guarantees, escrow, or dispute resolution, please do not use the app.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or via email. Material changes will not be applied retroactively to data already collected under a previous version of this policy without your consent where required by law. Continued use of the app after changes become effective indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

Effective Date: 6 June 2026

Contact us

For privacy questions, data requests, or to exercise any of the rights described above:

Works of Bryan
Email: info@worksofbryan.com
Website: https://www.worksofbryan.com/contact

Paluwagan is an independent app built by Works of Bryan. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or partnered with any bank, financial institution, government agency, regulator, or formal paluwagan organization. The app is a tool for personal coordination of informal community savings groups.