For a second straight year, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) bagged recognition at the 2026 International Competition Network (ICN) and World Bank Group (WBG) Competition Advocacy Contest, receiving an honorable mention for its initiative to shift competition policy from reactive enforcement to proactive compliance. The awarding ceremony was held on May 7 during the 25th ICN Annual Conference, which took place in Manila on May 5–8. The ICN-WBG Competition Advocacy Contest recognizes successful non-enforcement initiatives from competition agencies around the world.
The PCC was recognized under the category of “Promoting a culture of compliance through innovative advocacy and digital tools” for two key programs of the agency’s Communications and Knowledge Management Office (CKMO): the Competition Compliance Program (CCP) Toolkit and the Champions of Competition Program, which has two pillars, namely the Competition Local Advocacy Network (CLAN) and the Competition Advocacy Pledge (CAP).
In their official citation, the contest judges highlighted the impact of these programs:
“The PCC developed a CCP Toolkit to address weak business awareness and limited capacity to comply with competition law, particularly among micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Toolkit provides practical guidance, templates, and step-by-step procedures to help firms identify risks and prevent anti-competitive practices, fostering a culture of voluntary compliance and reducing legal uncertainty.
Building on this, PCC launched a nationwide advocacy model combining the CLAN and the CAP. Through partnerships with state universities and colleges (SUCs), and business associations, respectively, the initiative decentralized advocacy, delivering standardized yet locally tailored trainings and digital compliance tools.”
The publication of the CCP Toolkit marks the culmination of a project that analyzed factors affecting business compliance. In partnership with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the PCC conducted extensive key informant interviews and focus group discussions with members of the business community across priority sectors nationwide to ensure that the toolkit addressed real-world needs.
By 2025, these initiatives had reached over 2,400 stakeholders across hundreds of localities and secured formal commitments from firms across multiple sectors. Together, they strengthen market transparency and support more competitive, inclusive economic outcomes.
This reach was made possible through formal partnerships with a network of SUCs, including Batangas State University, Bukidnon State University, Bulacan State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Mindanao State University, Negros Oriental State University, Palawan State University, Sultan Kudarat State University, University of Eastern Philippines, and West Visayas State University.
“This recognition affirms our commitment to making competition law accessible and actionable for every Filipino business. By empowering MSMEs with the right tools and building a network of advocates across the regions, we are not just enforcing a law; we are cultivating a culture of fairness that drives inclusive economic growth,” PCC Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo said.
This marks the second year in a row that the PCC has garnered international recognition for its advocacy initiatives. In 2025, the Commission was named a winner in the ICN-WBG contest for its three-pronged approach to detecting bid rigging in public procurement. That award, announced during the 24th ICN Annual Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, recognized the Bid-Rigging Screening Tool. The tool uses data analysis of public procurement to proactively identify potential cartels, shifting the agency’s strategy from relying solely on public complaints to active detection in partnership with other government agencies.
