PCC commissioner aims for renewed M&A appetite

THE new commissioner of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has committed to “renewed appetite” for mergers, acquisitions and post-pandemic restructuring, the agency said on Monday as it welcomed the official.

In a media release, the PCC said that with the appointment of Lolibeth Ramit-Medrano as one of its commissioners, she would “champion robust merger reviews, competition cases, and market policies to help the recovering economy.”

Her appointment was announced by the Office of the President on Jan. 10. She will serve a seven-year term until 2030.

She will join other PCC commissioners Marah Victoria S. Querol and Michael B. Peloton whose term runs until 2028. As members of the Commission en banc, the commissioners will decide on the different market competition cases.

Ms. Ramit-Medrano previously served as undersecretary of the Office of the President, and director of the Bureau of Patents at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The PCC is mandated to promote competition among businesses and enforce the broad powers of the Philippine Competition Act (PCA). It is also mandated through fair competition to ensure business innovation, increase global competitiveness, and expand consumer choice to improve public welfare. — Ashley Erika O. Jose