Terms of Service

1. What Bubu is

Bubu is a mobile and web application that helps groups of people coordinate rotating savings (bubu / paluwagan) and shared goal funds. It provides tracking, scheduling, reminders, and contribution records for private groups.

Bubu is not a bank, quasi‑bank, electronic money issuer, lending company, financing company, investment house, or payment system operator, and does not issue or hold electronic money. Bubu is not supervised or regulated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a financial institution or investment product.

Bubu does not hold, receive, safeguard, or transmit funds on behalf of any user, and does not accept deposits, lend money, or guarantee any payments between users. All actual money transfers occur directly between group members using their own wallets or bank accounts (e.g., GCash, Maya, bank apps).

The app is intended as a coordination and record‑keeping tool for privately organized groups and is not intended for public fundraising or investment solicitation.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into binding contracts under Philippine law to use Bubu. By using the app, you represent and warrant that these conditions are met.

The app is intended for personal, non‑commercial use among privately organized groups. You represent that you are using Bubu on your own behalf and not as an agent of any regulated financial institution or investment intermediary.

3. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity that occurs under your account.

You must provide accurate information when registering and keep it up to date. You must promptly notify us at hello@bubu.himo.site if you suspect any unauthorized access to your account.

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, are inactive, are used fraudulently, or where required by law, in response to law enforcement or regulatory requests, or to protect other users and the service.

We reserve the right to reclaim usernames on behalf of businesses or individuals that own a legal claim to those names.

4. User responsibilities

You agree that:

• All financial arrangements, agreements, and money transfers with your group members are made directly between members and are your sole responsibility.
• You will not use Bubu for any unlawful purpose, including fraud, scams, pyramid schemes, ponzi schemes, or any activity prohibited under Philippine law, including but not limited to Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and Republic Act No. 9160, as amended (Anti‑Money Laundering Act).
• You will not use Bubu to publicly solicit investments, contributions, or deposits from the general public, or to operate any scheme that may be considered an unregistered investment contract, securities offering, or public lending business under Philippine law.
• You are responsible for ensuring that your group's arrangements comply with all applicable laws, including anti‑money laundering and counter‑terrorist financing rules, and that contributions come from legitimate sources.
• You will not attempt to hack, reverse‑engineer, scrape, or interfere with the app or its infrastructure.
• You will not upload content that is defamatory, obscene, or that infringes on the rights of others.
• You are solely responsible for resolving disputes with other group members. Bubu is a coordination tool only and does not mediate financial disputes.
• You understand and agree that Bubu does not perform know‑your‑customer (KYC) checks or other customer due diligence on your group members, and that you are solely responsible for choosing who to transact with.

5. No financial service or advice

Nothing in Bubu constitutes financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. The information provided is for coordination and tracking purposes only.

Decisions about contributing, lending, or participating in any savings arrangement are entirely your own. Bubu does not guarantee that any member will receive their expected payout, return, or rotation slot, and does not guarantee the performance or creditworthiness of any group member.

We encourage you to exercise due diligence and only participate in groups with people you personally know and trust.

6. Disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability

Bubu provides the app on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non‑infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Philippine law, Bubu and its owners, officers, employees, and agents are not liable for:

• Any loss of money, failed contributions, or non‑payment by group members.
• Disputes, misunderstandings, or broken agreements between group members.
• Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the app.
• Unauthorized access to or alteration of your data due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
• Interruptions, bugs, or errors in the app, including data loss from technical failures.

Bubu is a coordination and tracking tool. All actual money transfers occur directly between group members using their own wallets (e.g., GCash, Maya) or bank accounts. We have no visibility into, control over, or responsibility for those transactions.

To the extent that liability cannot be excluded, our aggregate liability to you for all claims related to the service will not exceed the total amount you have paid to Bubu for use of the service in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or one thousand Philippine pesos (PHP 1,000), whichever is lower, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

7. Intellectual property and user content

All content, design, code, and branding in Bubu are owned by or licensed to Bubu. You are granted a limited, non‑exclusive, non‑transferable license to use the app for its intended purpose. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without our written permission.

You retain ownership of content you submit to the app, such as group names, descriptions, and messages ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant Bubu a worldwide, non‑exclusive, royalty‑free license to host, store, display, and process that content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the service.

8. Privacy

Your use of Bubu is also subject to our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms and describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Please read the Privacy Policy carefully, as it explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and your rights as a data subject.

9. Fees and changes to the service

Bubu is currently provided free of charge for basic groups. We may introduce fees or paid features in the future. If we do, we will inform you before any charges apply and give you an opportunity to review and accept the new terms.

We may update, change, suspend, or discontinue any part of Bubu (including specific features) at any time, with or without prior notice, to the extent permitted by law.

When we make material changes to these Terms, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you, for example through an in‑app notice, email, or an update posted within the app or on our website. Your continued use of Bubu after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

10. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, including but not limited to Republic Act No. 8792 (Electronic Commerce Act of 2000) and Republic Act No. 7394 (Consumer Act of the Philippines), without regard to conflict‑of‑law principles.

Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of Bubu shall first be subject to good‑faith negotiation. If unresolved, disputes shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the proper courts of Cebu City, Philippines.

11. Severability and entire agreement

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other legal notices we publish in the app, constitute the entire agreement between you and Bubu regarding your use of the service.

12. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at hello@bubu.himo.site.