10 March 2023
PRESS RELEASE

Top Barcelona economics school delivers online training to PCC and partner agencies

“The Barcelona School of Economics, with its pool of highly regarded experts in competition law and economics, was top-of-mind as the Philippine Competition Commission sought a partner in institutional capacity building.”

 

Kenneth V. Tanate, PhD
Executive Director, Philippine Competition Commission

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The Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) has delivered a customized online training program to 50 employees of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) and their partner government agencies.

The BSE in-company training team worked with PCC to create a program tailored to the speci?c challenges and objectives of this young, ambitious institution.

“The Philippine Competition Commission was born less than a decade ago amidst rapidly evolving economic and market conditions in the Philippines and beyond,” explained PCC Executive Director Kenneth V. Tanate. “As the PCC looks to become a world-class competition authority, it faces dynamic economic realities that require complex application of competition policies and regulation,” he said.

In line with PCC’s Government Staff Development Program for Competition Law and Policy (GSDPC), and its Capacity Building to Foster Competition Project through the Asian Development Bank – ADB, the BSE training modules were designed to build up the technical skills of the agency’s workforce in the areas of competition economics antitrust enforcement, and to strengthen their knowledge on competition issues in key sectors and industries.

IN-DEPTH INTERACTIONS WITH ‘CREDIBLE, ENTHUSIASTIC EXPERTS’

The program that BSE delivered, “Online Training Courses on Competition Law and Economics,” consisted of 60 hours of live, interactive online instruction paced out over ?ve months and divided equally across three topics:

• Abuse of Dominance (June-July 2022)
• Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare (August 2022)
• Competition in Digital Markets (September-October 2022)

The director of the program was Massimo Motta, Barcelona School of Economics Research Professor and former Chief Competition Economist of the European Commission. The team of instructors included Professor Motta as well as BSE professors, invited academics, and industry experts:

• Chiara Fumagalli (Bocconi University)
• Gábor Koltay (European Commission)
• Antonio Penta (Universitat Pompeu Fabra and BSE)
• Martin Peitz (University of Mannheim)
• Simon Roberts (University of Johannesburg)
• Lluís Saurí (European Commission)

The PCC team indicated that this “pool of credible experts with manifest enthusiasm and mastery of the subject matter” was one factor that distinguished BSE from other training options they considered.

In contrast to other highly technical training that PCC has organized in the past, Executive Director Tanate explained that the BSE instructors “displayed mastery on a myriad of esoteric and specialized competition issues, while always keeping the discussions relevant and grounded.”

He also noted that “the PCC’s personnel, including those participants from the Philippines’ National Economic and Development Authority and Office of the Solicitor General, particularly appreciated how the BSE’s program was designed to enable in-depth inquiries with experts and sharing of key insights, which enriched the learning experience in an otherwise virtual environment.”

PERSONNEL GAINED UPGRADED SKILLS AND ‘IMMENSE CONFIDENCE’

In their feedback on the training, most participants indicated that the BSE courses had boosted their skills as well as their con?dence to perform tasks related to competition, regulation, and markets.

“Following the program’s completion, the participants signi?ed immense con?dence in better dealing with competition policy issues before their respective offices,” Executive Director Tanate said. “This affirms PCC’s view that securing BSE’s services as a learning service partner is a worthy investment in our efforts to safeguard a level playing ?eld that unlocks inclusive prosperity for the Philippines.”

REFERENCE:
Penelope P. Endozo
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph
Public Affairs Division
Philippine Competition Commission

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Link: https://www.phcc.gov.ph/press-releases/pcc-bse-training/