BACOLOD CITY — The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has encouraged the public to report violations of Republic Act No. 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act.
“That’s the best way to contribute and make competition work. They can inform us if they see, hear, and know any practice that violates the Competition Law and (its) provisions. That’s how it works in many countries, we can’t be sniffing at everybody. In reality, its stakeholders are the public,” PCC Chairman Arsenio Balisacan said.
Balisacan, along with National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro and Director IV Orlando Polinar of the PCC Competition Enforcement Office, led a forum dubbed “Competition Policy for Regional Development: A Dialogue with the Business Sector” at the L’ Fisher Hotel here on Tuesday.
The PCC, an independent quasi-judicial body which promotes and maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct, aims to ensure fair competition in the market for the benefit of consumers and businesses.
Its mandate is the enforcement of the Philippine Competition Act prohibiting anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position, and anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions (M&As).
As of March 30 this year, the PCC has received 102 queries and informal complaints on possible anti-competitive conducts.
The agency has conducted seven preliminary inquiries, including one case with ongoing inquiry and six which advanced to full administrative investigation.
These included four cases which commenced on motu proprio, or the review conducted by the PCC on its own, and three based on verified complaints.
Of the six cases brought to full administrative investigation, four are ongoing while two had already been closed.
As of last April 6, PCC has received 141 M&As transactions, with a total of 20 global mergers notified, including five in 2018. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
