PCC mulls raising P1B threshold notice for mergers, acquisitions

Antitrust watchdog Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is now looking into the possibility of raising its P1-billion notification threshold regarding the review of mergers and acquisitions (MAO) in the country.

In an interview with reporters in Makati City on Wednesday, PCC chairperson Arsenio Balisacan said the agency is now looking at raising the P1-billion threshold given the inflationary environment in the Philippines.

"We are still studying it. There's a group that's looking into it and hopefully within the first half of the year, we should be able to do it," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Competition Forum.

Under the Philippine Competition Act (PCA), the PCC is mandated by law to review all mergers and acquisitions worth P1 billion and above to ensure that no anti-competitive practices are implemented.

Balisacan said, however, that this needs to be adjusted given the inflationary environment of the Philippines.

"That threshold has been around for some time and you know, the economy's growing very fast and inflation has not been zero, so you have to take account of the changing structure of the economy, as well as the rate of growth, inflation," he said.

Inflation accelerated to 4.0 percent in January, the fastest in over three years, largely driven by the first round effects of the government's tax reform program.