Philippine Competition Act
The Philippine Competition Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 10667, is a Philippine law that was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III on July 21, 2015, and established the quasi-judicial Philippine Competition Commission to enforce the act.[1][2][3][4] The act is intended to ensure efficient and fair market competition among businesses engaged in trade, industry, and all commercial economic activities.[3] It prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuses of dominant positions, and mergers and acquisitions that limit, prevent, and restrict competition.[5]
Philippine Competition Act | |
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Congress of the Philippines | |
| |
Citation | Republic Act 10667 |
Territorial extent | Philippines |
Enacted by | House of Representatives |
Enacted by | Senate |
Signed by | Benigno Aquino III |
Signed | July 21, 2015 |
Status: In force |
History
A comprehensive competition law was first proposed in the late 1980s during the administration of President Cory Aquino.[5]
The Philippines was the only country in ASEAN without a competition law and the integration of ASEAN into a single market was an impetus to pass the act.[5]
Philippine Competition Commission
The Philippine Competition Commission is an independent, quasi-judicial body created to enforce the act. It is attached to the Office of the President of the Philippines.[6] Five commissioners were appointed to the Philippine Competition Commission and sworn in on January 27, 2015:[7]
- Arsenio Balisacan (Chairperson)
- Stella Alabastro-Quimbo
- Johannes Bernabe
- Elcid Butuyan
- Menardo Guevarra
Arsenio Balisacan resigned from his post as Philippine Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority to lead the Philippine Competition Commission.[3] Guevarra left the Commission after he was appointed Senior Deputy Executive Secretary. He was replaced by lawyer Amabelle Asuncion.
References
- Viray, Patricia Lourdes (January 25, 2016). "NEDA chief to head new Philippine Competition Commission". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Venzon, Cliff (January 26, 2016). "Aquino appoints new antitrust enforcer". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "NEDA statement on Balisacan move to Competition Commission". BusinessWorld. BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation. January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "Republic Act No. 10667 - Philippine Competition Act". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. July 21, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Schnabel, Chris (July 13, 2015). "What consumers need to know about the PH Competition Act". Rappler. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- Bacani, Louis (July 21, 2015). "PNoy OKs landmark Philippine Competition Act, Cabotage Law amendments". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- Sabillo, Kristine Angeli (January 27, 2016). "Balisacan takes oath as competition commission head". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 28, 2016.