Amicus Curiae

Section 35 of Republic Act No. 10667, otherwise known as the Philippine Competition Act (“PCA”), provides that the Philippine Competition Commission (“PCC”) shall develop a Leniency Program (‘Program”) for a participant in an anti-competitive agreement as provided in Section 14(a) and 14(b) of the PCA.

Last 15 December 2021, Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2094, which seeks to amend Commonwealth Act No. 146, otherwise known as the Public Service Act (PSA). The Senate Bill attempts to streamline and liberalize the current restrictions placed on the ownership, management, and control of public utilities and public services.

Early in 2020, the entire country was caught unawares by the COVID-19 virus, and it seemed as if everything had to be put on hold to curb its spread. Unfortunately, businesses were not exempted from such a turn of events.

The pandemic has greatly taught the practicality of investing in properties that appreciate in value over time, i.e., real properties. To forestall, or at the very least mitigate, possible disputes which may ensue, below are some of the tips which a prospective buyer may have to consider before and after acquiring a real property.

By virtue of Republic Act No. 7916, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) was created to establish various economic zones and attract legitimate foreign investments into the country. The PEZA administers certain incentives to local enterprises that operate within these economic zones and helps facilitate their respective business operations.

The Court of Appeals has recently declared unconstitutional a Mandaluyong City ordinance prohibiting male back riders on motorcycles. In so doing, the Court of Appeals held that there was an unlawful exercise of police power because there was no data showing that motorcycle riding criminals are males.

COVID-19 triggered economic losses since the first case was recorded in January 2020. The community quarantine measures imposed by the government severely disrupted business operations and commercial activities and led to a negative impact in our economic performance. For these reasons, the enactment of Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law this year was a welcome development.

On 17 June 2021, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (“BSP”) issued Circular No. 1122 (the “Circular”), which set out guidelines for the adoption of the Open Finance Framework (“Framework”). Open finance is part of the BSP’s Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap for 2020-2023, which aims to promote financial inclusion. The salient provisions of the Circular are discussed below.

The upcoming 2022 national and local elections will be the first and hopefully the last to be held in the midst of a pandemic. By election day, the Philippines will have then surpassed the two-year mark of its COVID-19 anniversary, and health protocols and restrictions will surely impact the partisan political activities.

Back in 2018, the Congress enacted Republic Act No. 11057, or the Personal Property Security Act (“PPSA”). The enactment of the PPSA is in line with the State’s policy “to promote economic activity by increasing least cost credit, particularly for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), by establishing a unified and modern legal framework for securing obligations with personal property.”