PCC taps Korean-donated system to streamline competition review

From Left: PCC Chair Michael Aguinaldo, South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa, KOICA Philippines Country Director Jung Youngsun and U-plus IT project manager Boo Kyeongung at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the case management system at the PCC office in Quezon City on April 23, 2025 – PCC photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is set to unveil a new case management system as part of its bid to streamline the handling of competition-related cases.

The country’s antitrust body said on Thursday the case management system had been donated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and turned over on April 23.

PCC chair Michael Aguinaldo emphasized the advantages of the new case management system, noting that it offers the public “faster, more user-friendly and secure way” to report suspected anti-competitive conduct.

“This new system represents a significant leap forward in making it easier for the public to contribute to a competitive marketplace. We are deeply grateful to KOICA for their invaluable support in this crucial initiative,” Aguinaldo said in a statement.

READ: Philippines building up expertise in competition regulation

The upgraded system simplifies what was once a multi-step process involving email requests, folder creation by PCC staff and the issuance of login credentials.

With the new platform, the PCC said that users will soon be able to submit complaints and upload relevant documents directly through the PCC website, eliminating previous bottlenecks and improving accessibility.

In 2024, the PCC reported that it had reviewed a total of 17 merger and acquisition transactions, representing a combined transaction value of around P784 billion.

READ: Antitrust agency raises threshold for mandatory M&A notification