The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said Monday it raised the merger notification thresholds to P9.1 billion for the size of party and P3.8 billion for the size of transaction, effective March 1, 2026.
It said in a statement the size of party threshold was increased from P8.5 billion, while the size of transaction threshold was adjusted from P3.5 billion.
Both thresholds should be met for a merger or acquisition to be considered notifiable under Section 17 of Republic Act No. 10667, or the Philippine Competition Act, and Rule 4, Section 3 of its implementing rules and regulations.
The revised thresholds also apply to joint venture transactions under Rule 4, Section 3(d) of the IRR. Under Sections 12(b) and 19 of the law, in relation to Rule 4, Section 8 of the IRR, the PCC has the authority to determine and adjust the thresholds for compulsory merger notification.
The commission said it considered inflation, economic growth and prevailing market conditions in the adjustment, while maintaining focus on resources on transactions more likely to substantially affect competition in Philippine markets.
The updated figures were computed using the previous calendar year’s nominal gross domestic product growth as an index, based on official estimates from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
As part of its merger control mandate, the PCC reviews notifiable deals to ensure they do not result in a substantial lessening of competition.
The commission said it may also review transactions below the thresholds motu proprio if there are indications that a deal could significantly harm competition or if preliminary findings point to possible anti-competitive effects.
