Playing fair to court investors by Arsenio M. Balisacan, PhD July 10, 2018 Foreign direct investment (FDI) is key to sustaining the rapid growth of the Philippine economy and, more important, to the generation of higher-paying, better-quality jobs for Filipinos. As rapid growth of employment opportunities is fundamental to poverty reduction, making the country attractive to… continue reading ››

(King) crab mentality by Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion June 26, 2018 I first learned about “crab mentality” back in elementary while studying history. It is a bad trait unfairly ascribed to Filipinos and considered a formidable obstacle to their success. Crab mentality involves pulling down anyone who achieves or is about to achieve success greater… continue reading ››

Chasing cartels for the benefit of consumers by Atty. Johannes Benjamin R. Bernabe June 12, 2018 Putting a halt to cartels and other collusive acts lies at the heart of the Philippine Competition Commission’s (PCC) effort to improve consumer welfare. The review of mergers and acquisitions, often involving large corporations, while gaining the lion’s share… continue reading ››

Competition authorities and regulators: Twinning or tweening? by Stella Luz A. Quimbo May 29, 2018 The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is the country’s competition authority. It is not a sector-specific regulator like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which regulates all types of banks, or the Securities and Exchange Commission which is the regulator and registrar… continue reading ››

Constitutionalizing competition by Arsenio M. Balisacan, PhD May 15, 2018   The proposal of the Consultative Committee’s (Con-Com) subpanel on economic reforms to create a federal competition body brings to the fore a long-standing debate about the role of competition regimes. Basic economic theory suggests that competition is crucial to the proper functioning of markets…. continue reading ››

Merger as marriage and its commitments by Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion May 1, 2018 In many ways, a merger is like marriage: two independent entities agree to, for better or for worse, become one, pool their resources and begin a profitable life of operating the business together. Just like a marriage, mergers are usually intended to… continue reading ››

PCC merger review as tool for competitive markets, consumer welfare by Atty. Johannes Benjamin R. Bernabe April 17, 2018 Of all the powers vested in the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), none has attracted as much attention as its power to review mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Large businesses have had to not only conform with new… continue reading ››

PCC: Quasi-court in full swing by Stella Luz A. Quimbo, PhD April 3, 2018 What do you do at the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC)? This has been the most common question asked of me since taking office last January 2016, and it deserves an answer. Under the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), the Commission shall be… continue reading ››