Competition policy for Phl pushed

MANILA, Philippines - Major business groups, academic experts and some lawmakers will be joining the forum on a Philippine Competition Policy tomorrow 9am, at the Hotel Sulo Riviera in Quezon City.

The forum aims to generate significant discussion on different aspects of a competition policy that may be relevant to legislators who formulated competition bills currently being reviewed in both Houses of Congress.

Forum organizers – Asian Institute of Management (AIM), through the AIM Policy Center; the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS); and the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Inc. – hope to foreground international best practices, documented competition policy experiences and significant competition law models, such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Model Law on Competition, by bringing various stakeholders into a robust dialogue.

Dr. Edilberto de Jesus, AIM president, said, “the competition law and policy are crucial to guiding the pattern and pace of Philippine economic development and ensuring that it achieves the desired social and economic impact. Thus, even at this juncture, we want to seek counsel from local and international experts to help our legislators formulate a sound and effective Philippine competition law and policy.”

Most of the bills-in-review in Congress consolidate the various, yet, disjointed elements of competition policy in certain Philippine laws and regulations for some specific industries.

Edgardo Ligon, IDEALS executive director, said, “even during this pressing hour, we must still be cautious in drawing up a competition policy and law. This is a vital piece of the economic puzzle that will play a decisive role in leveling the playing field, especially for small and medium enterprises.”

“Also, it is essential to build the institutional capacity of our government to implement these laws, including the ability to dialogue with the business sector during a period of challenging transition that would follow after the law had been enacted,” Ligon added.

Similarly, Dr. Peter Koeppinger, KAS resident representative, cautioned that “if an open market country adapts a flawed or weak competition policy, its chance of realizing its full economic potential also becomes fragile.”

He said, however, that this forum, “hopes to build on and contribute to the ‘well of wisdom’ that is available to the competition policy stakeholders, who seek a stronger Philippine economy.”

The forum expects participants from the Tariff Commission, Makati Business Club, Fair Trade Alliance, Nationwide Association of Consumers, Inc., Cebu Business Club, European Chamber of Commerce, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, and forum co-sponsor Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

Members of the House of Representatives initially involved in the process of creating a competition law are also expected to participate in the discussion.