PROBE STATION. Michael Aguinaldo, Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) chairperson (center), announces the opening of an investigation station in Davao City on Wednesday (Sept. 20, 2023). The station will serve as PCC's temporary workstation in the region for facilitating the conduct of investigations and the promotion of pro-competition policies among local businesses, consumer groups and other stakeholders. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)
DAVAO CITY – The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) opened Wednesday an investigation station (i-Station) here to bring its services closer to stakeholders in the southernmost part of the country.
In a press briefing, PCC Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said the station is dedicated to creating a business environment where competition thrives for better products and services, lower prices and more choices for Filipinos.
"The opening of an i-Station here strengthens our presence in Mindanao and reaffirms our commitment to fostering economic growth and consumer welfare in areas outside the National Capital Region," Aguinaldo said.
The Davao i-Station will serve as PCC's temporary workstation in the region for facilitating the conduct of investigations and the promotion of pro-competition policies among local businesses, consumer groups and other stakeholders until the launch of a permanent regional office in the future.
Aguinaldo said a competitive market is one where there are multiple buyers and sellers and that consumers benefit most through better quality goods and services.
"Business is a level-playing field. If they have a good product, they can compete and there is nothing to fear. The law does not prohibit you from becoming the biggest as long as you do it through fair means,” he said.
“If businesses compete, the consumers benefit because good quality products will come out. They have more choices and they are not at the mercy of the monopoly,” he added.
To boost public awareness of the country's competition law and policy, the PCC also held the i-Station Conference on Market Competition in the Tourism Sector following the launch ceremony of the Davao i-Station.
The Davao i-Station is the third to open nationwide, preceded by the inaugural Baguio i-Station in November 2021 and the Legazpi i-Station in June 2022.
The PCC is a quasi-judicial agency mandated to implement the Philippine Competition Act, which prohibits anticompetitive agreements, abuses of dominant position, and anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions. (PNA)
