PH Expounds on Value of Consistent Regional Competition Enforcement Mechanism at UNCTAD Meeting

Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Commissioner Johannes Benjamin Bernabe was a panelist on the roundtable discussion on competition issues in the digital economy in Geneva on 12 July 2019. (Geneva PM photo)

GENEVA 07 August 2019 —The Philippines expounded on the value of a consistent regional competition enforcement mechanism during the Eighteenth Session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE18) on Competition Law and Policy held in Geneva on 10-12 July 2019.

Serving as one of the panelists at the roundtable discussion on competition issues in the digital economy, Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Commissioner Johannes Benjamin Bernabe said that such regional mechanism may benefit 100 million Filipinos, and may be of help “in terms of constraining certain entities which might be found under investigation for anti-competitive acts or conduct to start behaving in a more competitive, disciplined, and consistent way”.

Commissioner Bernabe wrapped his discussion by saying, “it is ideal to have the kind of regional competition enforcement mechanism where the laws and regulations of the countries have some kind of consistency with one another but in particular situation, obviously, many other factors need to be aligned together for such enforcement to work effectively.”

The IGE on Competition Law and Policy meets annually to discuss ways on improving worldwide cooperation on competition policy implementation and enhancing convergence through dialogue.

Among the topics discussed this year in the IGE included international cooperation, as well as competition issues in the digital economy and the health sector.  END

For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGenevaUN/.