PRESS RELEASE
5 August 2024

PCC discusses competition in digital markets at Thailand symposium

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) shared its experience in regulating competition in digital markets at the Competition Policy Symposium 2024 held on July 15-16 in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a panel discussion, PCC Executive Director Kenneth V. Tanate introduced the integration of competition principles into the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), the government’s six-year economic strategy, for both the 2017-2022 and the 2023-2028 periods. For the most recent one, the PDP notably highlights the role of competition in its overall emphasis on digitalization, and how it plays a hand in fostering investment, enabling market entry, and ensuring consumer welfare.

“Our goal is to enhance consumer welfare and attain market efficiency by diminishing anti-competitive practices, reducing barriers to entry and reentry, and lessening regulatory burdens,” Tanate said.

However, digitalization presents both challenges and opportunities, he noted. While digital tools can enhance competition, large firms with greater access to technology can consolidate market power more easily. Digitalization also facilitates easier business coordination, raising concerns about potential collusion and data privacy risks.

Tanate said the PCC employs various tools, including forensics and data analytics, to investigate digital market cases. The agency has tackled mergers and acquisitions in online shopping and banking, and conducted studies in telecommunications and advertising. The PCC also promotes competition through active engagement with the private sector and other stakeholders, Tanate added.

Apart from Tanate, other members of the panel included Gunn Jiravuttipong, a researcher at the Thai Development Research Institute (TDRI); Dr. Gábor Koltay, a senior economist with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition (DG Comp); and Supachitra Laohawattanapinyo, Assistant Director of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency’s Legal Office.

The symposium is a two-day activity organized by the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the ARISE Plus Thailand Project funded by the European Union.

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REFERENCE:
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph
PCC Public Affairs and Research Division