Justice department to put teeth into anti-monopoly guidelines

MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima will meet officials of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to formulate guidelines for the investigation of cases involving violations of competition laws.

The secretary wants to prosecute violators of these laws in a bid to crack down on monopolization, cartels and the restraint of trade.

“We need to come up with guidelines on competition authority,” De Lima said. “ The unit will handle anti-trust cases under Executive Order 45,” De Lima said.

EO 45 empowers the DoJ to investigate all cases involving violations of competition laws and prosecute violators of these laws.

Under the latest EO, the DoJ is also mandated to “enforce competition policies and laws to protect consumers from abusive, fraudulent, or harmful corrupt business practices.”

The DoJ is likewise tasked to supervise competition in markets by ensuring that prohibitions and requirements of competition laws are followed. The DoJ, thus, requires government agencies and other entities “to submit reports and provisions for assistance.”

The DoJ also has the responsibility to “prepare, publish and disseminate studies and reports on competition” to inform and guide the industry, and consumers about their rights and responsibilities.