THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said it entered into a partnership with the National Privacy Commission (NPC) to collaborate in competition cases involving data-privacy issues.
The PCC signed the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the NPC on Wednesday.
“The MoA facilitates investigation and enforcement support between (the two commissions), including forming joint task forces and notification of matters of common concern. It also enables direct consultation between both regulators in the drafting and implementation of policies relating to one another’s expertise,” PCC said.
“To further promote coordination and cooperation, the agencies also agreed to conduct capacity-building activities, which may come in the form of training or temporary secondments of staff to one another,” it added.
According to PCC Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan, a unified approach is needed to promote competition and data privacy in following the surge in digitalization.
“With the rise of the digital economy, data — including personal data — have become an important source of market power. It falls upon regulators to ensure that data-driven markets develop and mature in a manner that does not harm consumer welfare,” Mr. Balisacan said.
The PCC said the accumulation and use of data by dominant market players has been the subject of scrutiny in various jurisdictions.
It added that the emerging risk of abuse in data privacy and competition has increased, requiring collaboration between the two commissions.
“In today’s digital economy, data play a key role in the business model of many firms. The synergy we are forming through this agreement is a springboard for stronger enforcement of our competition and data privacy laws,” Mr. Balisacan said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
