Competition authorities and regulators: Twinning or tweening?

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

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

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: Quasi-court in full swing

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 ››