u/Ashamed-Spend-642

Hi everyone,

I’m a software engineer with 4 years of professional experience. For the past year, I’ve been building a cloud-based dental clinic management system as my own SaaS product.

My system includes features such as:

•	Patient records

•	Appointments

•	Treatment plans

•	Billing and invoicing

•	Subscription payments via PayMongo

•	Role-based access control

•	Audit logs

•	Cloud hosting on Azure

Since the system stores sensitive patient information, I want to make sure I launch it legally and comply with all applicable regulations before accepting paying customers.

I’ve done some research, but I’d really appreciate advice from founders, lawyers, accountants, or anyone who has successfully launched a SaaS business in the Philippines.

Here are my questions:

1.	Would you recommend starting as a Sole Proprietorship (DTI) or a One Person Corporation (SEC) for a solo SaaS founder?

2.	What is the correct order of registration? (DTI/SEC → Barangay → Mayor’s Permit → BIR → Business Bank Account?)

3.	Since my system stores patient information, what are my obligations under the National Privacy Commission (NPC)?

4.	Do I need to register a Data Protection Officer (DPO) or a Data Processing System (DPS)?

5.	Are there healthcare-specific laws or regulations that apply to software used by dental clinics?

6.	What legal documents should I prepare before accepting paying customers? (Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Data Processing Agreement, Subscription Agreement, etc.)

7.	Approximately how much should I budget for business registration and legal compliance?

8.	Are there any common mistakes first-time SaaS founders in the Philippines should avoid?

For context, my current tech stack is:

•	React

•	ASP.NET Core

•	PostgreSQL

•	Azure

•	Azure DevOps

•	PayMongo

I’m trying to build properly from the start—not just from a technical perspective, but also in terms of legal compliance, data privacy, taxation, and running it as a legitimate business.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this process or can point me toward useful resources. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m a software engineer with 4 years of professional experience. For the past year, I’ve been building a cloud-based dental clinic management system as my own SaaS product.

My system includes features such as:

•	Patient records

•	Appointments

•	Treatment plans

•	Billing and invoicing

•	Subscription payments via PayMongo

•	Role-based access control

•	Audit logs

•	Cloud hosting on Azure

Since the system stores sensitive patient information, I want to make sure I launch it legally and comply with all applicable regulations before accepting paying customers.

I’ve done some research, but I’d really appreciate advice from founders, lawyers, accountants, or anyone who has successfully launched a SaaS business in the Philippines.

Here are my questions:

1.	Would you recommend starting as a Sole Proprietorship (DTI) or a One Person Corporation (SEC) for a solo SaaS founder?

2.	What is the correct order of registration? (DTI/SEC → Barangay → Mayor’s Permit → BIR → Business Bank Account?)

3.	Since my system stores patient information, what are my obligations under the National Privacy Commission (NPC)?

4.	Do I need to register a Data Protection Officer (DPO) or a Data Processing System (DPS)?

5.	Are there healthcare-specific laws or regulations that apply to software used by dental clinics?

6.	What legal documents should I prepare before accepting paying customers? (Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Data Processing Agreement, Subscription Agreement, etc.)

7.	Approximately how much should I budget for business registration and legal compliance?

8.	Are there any common mistakes first-time SaaS founders in the Philippines should avoid?

For context, my current tech stack is:

•	React

•	ASP.NET Core

•	PostgreSQL

•	Azure

•	Azure DevOps

•	PayMongo

I’m trying to build properly from the start—not just from a technical perspective, but also in terms of legal compliance, data privacy, taxation, and running it as a legitimate business.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this process or can point me toward useful resources. Thank you!