PRESS RELEASE
16 May 2025

PCC inks agreement with law school for competition law training

From left: Atty. Jose Perpetuo Lotilla, Dean of the School of Law at MLQU; PCC Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo, PCC Commissioner Ferdinand Negre and PCC Executive Director Kenneth Tanate at the MoA signing between the PCC and MLQU at the PCC’s Quezon City office on May 14, 2025.

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) and Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to equip MLQU law student practitioners with hands-on training on competition law through an externship program.

Signed at the PCC office in Quezon City on May 14, 2025, the MoA establishes a framework for institutional collaboration between the two entities, providing volunteer law students from MLQU with practical training on competition law practice under the guidance and supervision of the PCC.

Commenting on the partnership, PCC Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said, “This MoA with Manuel L. Quezon University underscores our shared commitment to academic engagement and the promotion of a culture of competition in the country through experiential learning. We aim to develop future legal professionals who are not only knowledgeable in the dynamic field of competition law but also practice-ready.”

The partnership will enable MLQU’s Juris Doctor students to gain practical experience at the PCC, a quasi-judicial body responsible for enforcing Republic Act No. 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), which promotes fair market competition and consumer welfare.

Under the agreement, the PCC will screen, select, and supervise law student practitioners, while MLQU will handle necessary documentation, conduct pre-externship orientation, and ensure students comply with PCC policies and maintain confidentiality.

This initiative aligns with the Supreme Court’s Law Student Practice Rule (A.M. No. 19-03-24-SC), which institutionalized the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) in all law schools and made its completion a prerequisite for taking the bar examinations.

This MoA with MLQU marks PCC's 33rd overall across different sectors. In the education sector, the PCC has also signed MoAs with the University of the Philippines (2019), San Beda University-College of Law (2021), and the Legal Education Board (2022).

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REFERENCE:  
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph  
Public Affairs and Research Division
Communications and Knowledge Management Office
Philippine Competition Commission