THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it signed Monday a memorandum of understanding with its Hong Kong counterpart covering staff exchanges, research collaboration, capacity-building exercises, and other forms of technical cooperation.
The tieup allows the PCC and the Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC) “to notify each other of anti-competitive cases of mutual interest prior to or after enforcement, and conduct joint activities to enhance each other’s competition law enforcement capacity,” the PCC body said in a statement.
PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan noted that international cooperation is a “critical component” in the enforcement of competition laws, “as more transactions turn borderless or go digital.”
Both parties have engaged in previous collaboration involving staff exchanges, competition enforcement workshops, and activities on the policy and advocacy front, the PCC said.
Chairman Samuel Chan of the HKCC said, “This strong relationship has grown organically, and based on this solid foundation, both of our agencies recognize the considerable benefits in formalizing and further strengthening this partnership.” — Arjay L. Balinbin
