The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has issued rules
setting out its timelines for handling merger filings.
Mergers and acquisitions that meet the thresholds for mandatory
notification have to be filed within 30 days after signing of the
binding agreement. The PCC will then conduct a "sufficiency
check" within 15 days. Upon the PCC's confirmation of the
sufficiency of the forms and payment of the filing fees, the Phase
1 review takes place, for a maximum period of 30 days. During this
review, the PCC may gather supplementary information from the
parties and third persons, and conduct site visits of the
parties' business premises, their customers and/or
competitors.
If the PCC identifies competition concerns during Phase 1, or is
unable to form a conclusion on this issue, the transaction will
proceed to a Phase 2 review, which must be completed within 60
days. The merger procedure provides for a detailed process during
Phase 2, which can include the filing
