Section 4June 01, 1999, Sec./Art. 4

Definitions of Terms. - Whenever used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:

(a) Commission shall refer to the Presidential Commission on Year 2000 Compliance created by virtue of Executive Order 14 issued on August 19, 1998.

(b) "Y2K bug" or "Millennium bug" shall refer to the inability of computer-based systems and products which include software and hardware, and products with embedded systems hereafter referred to as "systems and products" to function properly at the turn of the century.

(c) "Y2K compliant systems and products" that have satisfied the criteria defined by the British Standards Institute such as:

(1) No value for current date will cause any interruption in operation.

(2) Data based functionality must behave consistently for dates prior to during and after the Year 2000.

(3) In all interfaces and data storage, the century in any date must be specified either explicitly or by unambiguous algorithms or inferencing rules.

(4) Year 2000 must be recognized as a leap year: or other criteria identified by the Commission shall function as they are supposed to function after the turn of the century.

(d) "Y2K ready" shall refer to the state inferred to persons or entities whose Y2K compliant systems and produces, if interfaced with extraneous systems and products, may not necessarily produce Y2K compliance but nevertheless have already in place a contingency to deal with the effects of the Y2K bug.

(e) "Embedded systems" shall refer to processes or chips in computers, or in electronic, mechanical or other products containing programmed instructions that perform control, protection and monitoring functions.

(f) "Life-threatening" shall refer to systems and products perceived to cause health hazards or pose danger to personal safety if not remediated.

(g) "Year 2000 processing" shall refer to processing including calculating, comparing, sequencing, displaying, or storing and transmitting, or receiving of data from, into, and between the 20th and 21st centuries, and during the years 1999 and 2000, and leap year calculations.

(h) "Maker" shall refer to person or entity, including the Philippine government or any political subdivision thereof, that develops, prepares and issues a year 2000 statement.

(i) "Year 2000 Statement" shall refer to any communication or other conveyance of information expressed in plain written English by a party to another.

(1) Concerning an assessment, projection, or estimate regarding Year 2000 processing capabilities of systems and products.

(2) Concerning plans, objectives, or timetables for implementing or verifying the year 2000 processing capabilities of systems or products.

(3) Concerning test plans, test dates, test results, or operational problems or solutions related to year 2000 processing by systems or products.

(4) Reviewing, commenting on, or otherwise directly or indirectly relating to year 2000 processing capabilities.

(5) Concerning contingency plans expressing at least worst case scenarios as a result of a Y2K bug; and

(6) An assertion of whether or not the entity, product, service or set of products and services is Y2K ready.

(j) "Year 2000 readiness disclosure" shall refer to any written year 2000 statement submitted by the Maker to the Commission, or to another concerned government agency as may be determined by the Commission, and an assertion covered in Section 4(i)(6) of this Act to private entities with whom the Maker may have transactions with.

(k) "Year 2000 remediation product or service" shall refer to a licensed software program, service licensed or device sold, or rendered by a person or entity and specifically designed to test or correct year 2000 processing problems with respect to systems, products, or services manufactured or rendered by another person or entity.

(l) "Mission-critical" shall refer to sectors belonging to utilities, telecommunications, transportation, finance, healthcare, manufacturing and government services, or in other sectors and entities as may be determined by the National Security Council (NSC) after due publication in a newspaper of general circulation, whose impact is life-threatening, has the potential of affecting larger groups of the population and a greater impact on the economy, or may jeopardize national security, regardless of whether the are private or public entities.

(m) "Y2K solution provider" shall refer to any company or entity providing a Year 2000 remediation product or service.