The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is working with the Legal Education Board (LEB) to create learning programs on competition law, in a bid to improve the competence of local professionals in the industry. Photo from Philippine Competition Commission/WEBSITE
The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) on Friday said that it is working with the Legal Education Board (LEB) to create learning programs on competition law, in a bid to improve the competence of local professionals in the industry.
The government anti-trust watchdog said they discussed the idea of creating a post-graduate certificate program and a juris doctor academic track for competition law last October 3 during a technical working group meeting.
“This initiative aims to elevate the competence and proficiency of lawyers and legal practitioners, including compliance officers, in competition law,” the PCC said in a statement.
During the meeting, the PCC said that key agreements on the course outline, topics, syllabus, references, and related literature were consolidated in a draft to be presented for public consultation later this year.
It added that major stakeholders of these proposed programs will also have the opportunity to review and provide feedback.
The PCC said the goal is to implement these programs in law schools nationwide.
READ: Digital economy needs separate competition law, says PCC
Earlier last month, the PCC published a report recommending the passage of a separate competition law to address emerging challenges in the digital realm.
In a 34-page report entitled “Digital Platforms and Online Advertising: A Guide for Competition Policy,” it suggested the measure as one of three solutions for the country to keep up with changing dynamics in the virtual realm.
“There is a need to rethink the possibility of enacting a separate law to tackle competition cases in the digital economy,” a part of the report penned by PCC policy research officer Jestoni Olivo reads.
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“This signals that the country is one with other jurisdictions in stripping away global dominant players’ market power,” it also states.
The PCC report said that digital transactions transcend geographic boundaries and that digitalization integrates all operations in an industry’s value chain, necessitating the need for the government to establish a regulatory framework that facilitates digital trade and safeguards the competitive process.