Competition law in times of natural disasters By Atty. Emerson B. Aquende December 9, 2020 The successive typhoons that devastated large swathes of Luzon in November, and the massive flooding that recently inundated Metro Manila and Cagayan province have once again raised to the national consciousness the vulnerability of the Philippines to natural disasters…. continue reading ››
2019: A banner year for competition enforcement By Arsenio M. Balisacan, PhD January 8, 2020 Despite the many headwinds it continued to face, the Philippine economy received some welcome news at the end of 2019: poverty estimates recently released show that the country’s full-year poverty incidence dropped from 23.3 percent in 2015 to 16.6… continue reading ››
Grab hailing in Asia By Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion November 20, 2019 The “non-millennials” might still remember those hilarious movie scenes where a long queue of passengers competing for a cab on the street would inevitably be beaten by an attractive woman flashing her shapely legs. Within minutes, a cab would dash to pick… continue reading ››
Big tech in a small economy By Arsenio M. Balisacan July 31, 2019 Much has been said about the dominance of the so-called tech titans: Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and the like. Not a day goes by that the decisions and policies of these companies do not touch the lives of millions of citizens,… continue reading ››
Abuse of Dominance by Atty. Johannes Benjamin R. Bernabe June 19, 2019 Cartels are more easily understood by lawyers and economists familiarizing themselves with competition law concepts. Even laymen have a general understanding of price-fixing and bid-rigging as acts among competitors that ought to be prohibited and penalized. However, the practices that the Philippine… continue reading ››
Don’t be evil By Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion June 5, 2019 Abuse in any context is bad. There are laws against different forms of abuse: child abuse, abuse of women, abuse of authority, to name a few. The essence of these laws is to protect those in a position of weakness or disadvantage against… continue reading ››
Competition dos and don’ts in the Year of the Pig by Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion February 8, 2019 Gong Hei Fat Choy! While there are various ways of saying “Happy New Year” in Chinese, this seems to be the most common greeting. It translates to “wishing you great happiness and prosperity,” which is the best… continue reading ››
The Year Ahead for Market Competition by Arsenio M. Balisacan, PhD January 9, 2019 In last week’s column, I shared the key accomplishments of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) in 2018, which we consider as the first full year of the country’s new competition policy regime. Throughout last year, the commission placed the consumers, along… continue reading ››
Consumers at the heart of Competition Policy by Arsenio M. Balisacan, PhD January 2, 2019 For nearly three years now since its establishment in 2016, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has sustained its momentum in promoting consumer welfare and competitive processes under the game-changing Philippine Competition Act (PCA). The transitory period provided by the PCA… continue reading ››
Christmas bargains, bundling, and competition by Atty. Amabelle C. Asuncion December 5, 2018 The cold early-morning breeze, dancing streetlights and nostalgic Jose Mari Chan tunes cannot but signify that the Yuletide season is here. It is the time of year when godparents suffer temporarily from selective amnesia. The only antidote to this holiday disease is… continue reading ››