Small but significant By Atty. Macario R. De Claro Jr., CPA March 4, 2020 A country’s development is often depicted as an improvement in the quality and diversity of products and services, from consumer goods to health care and infrastructure, that are available to average citizens. In a market economy, it’s easy to imagine these… 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 ››
In or Out? By Atty. Macario De Claro, Jr. October 9, 2019 You may have heard in the news that the Philippine Competition Commission is looking into big mergers and the behavior of dominant market players. The PCC investigates alleged abuses of dominant position and reviews proposed mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures that exceed… continue reading ››
A conflict of laws? Atty. Johannes R. Bernabe September 25, 2019 Intellectual property law and competition law have traditionally been seen as at odds with one another. The conflict owes to the premise that intellectual property law is intended to protect the rights of inventors, artists, writers and businesses through the grant of patents,… 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 ››
Meeting the challenge of a new telco player by Atty. Johannes Benjamin R. Bernabe March 6, 2019 The search for a third telco may have presumptively concluded with the selection of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (Mislatel), and the approval given by the Senate to the transfer of controlling interest therein to a consortium led… continue reading ››
PCC @ 3: A disruptor among disruptors by Atty. Macario R. De Claro, Jr. February 20, 2019 “Disruption” and “disruptive innovation” are buzzwords making their rounds in business and tech circles lately. They describe the phenomenon of rapid change in the environment, practices, and culture shaping business, government and many other fields. In the… 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 ››