July 26, 2018
Congressional Oversight Committee on
Competition (COCC)
In pursuance of Section 49, RA No. 10667
Congress of the Philippines
Attn. Ms. Jingle Conco-Allam
Committee Secretary
Sir/Madam:
As one of the stakeholders from the consumer sector, may we respectfully inform the Congressional Oversight Committee on Competition our participation in the implementation of Republic Act No. 10667 or the Philippine Competition Act.
1. Enforcement-
a. Complaint Affidavit was filed on August 22, 2016 against the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, Mr. Ernesto M.Ordonez, LafargeHolcim Philippines, Inc. and Republic Cement and Building Materials, Inc. On January 17, 2017, the Commission conducted preliminary inquiry and it found reasonable grounds to proceed to full administrative investigation for possible violations of sections 14 and 15 of the Competition Act. On May 8, 2018, the Commission informed that the investigation is ongoing and the Enforcement Office will duly act on the basis of verifiable information and admissible evidence, in reply to our letter of April 2, 2018 to update the files of the case.
b. I executed an affidavit on April 25, 2018 to the Commission in the case of the Acquisition by Grab Holdings, Inc. and Mytaxi.Ph Inc. of assets of Uber B.V. and Uber Systems, Inc. and narrated my personal experience as a rider of Uber and Grab.
c. I executed an Affidavit to the Commission and the Office for Competition of the Department of Justice on Retail Prices of Fuel Products on June 13, 2018 and raised whether the market behavior and prices of fuel products are in order and in compliance with law. The Competition Enforcement Office informed that the Affidavit was not considered for preliminary inquiry since the Affidavit had to comply with the Commission Rules and Procedures. Moreover, the Commission noted the information provided in the Affidavit and may help the PCC in the conduct of its assessment and monitoring of the retail industry.
2. Capacity Building and Forum ?
Upon invitation, we attended the Public Forum on the Philippine Competition Act in March 23, 2017 and the 2018 Forum on Competition in Developing Countries, February 1-2, 2018, both hosted by the Commission.
3. Rule Making and Pending Bills-
We submitted our comments on the Draft Rules on Procedures on June 20, 2017 to the Commission. Likewise, we attended the deliberation of Senate Bill No. 1711 proposing amendments to the Competition Act.
Finally, we hope that in the foreseeable future, the Commission can initiate moto propio investigation for possible violation of the law.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate and submit a report to the COCC.
Very truly yours,
Atty. Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba, AB, LLB, LLM
President
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