PRESS RELEASE
23 September 2026

PCC hosts symposium on PRE special issue on competition policy

Symposium on PRE special issue on competition policy, held on September 14, 2026.

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) held a policy symposium on September 14 at the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics, bringing together academics, policymakers, regulators, and legal and economic experts for the presentation and discussion of articles featured in a special issue of the Philippine Review of Economics (PRE) dedicated to competition policy.

Published to commemorate the PCC’s 10th anniversary, the special competition issue of the PRE highlights a decade of advancing competition policy research in Philippine policymaking. Spearheaded by the PCC Economics Office, the event served as a platform to examine critical market dynamics across key sectors. Discussions focused on tariff cuts and Philippine price trends, local labor market concentration and union activity, multihoming behavior in online food delivery, and lessons drawn from the Grab-Uber merger.

In his opening remarks, PCC Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo emphasized the role of evidence-based policymaking and academic collaboration. “Advancing competition in the Philippines is a continuing task. We look forward to working with the academe, government agencies, regulators, the private sector, and other stakeholders in strengthening the competition network and ensuring that competition policy remains responsive to the realities of our economy,” he said.

PRE editor-in-chief Emmanuel Esguerra acknowledged PCC Chief economist and Director, Dr. Carlos Vega, for initiating the special issue of the PRE. He emphasized that competition policy has become an integral component of economic governance that relies heavily on rigorous research and open dialogue, noting that the special issue offers both a reflection on ten years of enforcement and a springboard for future partnerships.

As the country’s primary competition authority, the PCC continues to deepen its engagement with the academic community to build institutional capacity, address market failures, and safeguard consumer welfare across different sectors of the Philippine economy.

An electronic copy of the complete special issue and a searchable database of all published PRE articles are available to the public through the official journal portal at https://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph

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REFERENCE:  
publicaffairs@phcc.gov.ph  
Public Affairs and Research Division
Communications and Knowledge Management Office
Philippine Competition Commission