Search for 'su:"Competition policy" and su-to:Competition policy and au:Briones, Roehlano M'

Diagnostic report on the bus transport sector

By Briones, Roehlano M.; Gundaya, Debbie M.; Domingo, Sonny N.. Makati City Philippine Institute for Development Studies 2015 , The bus transport sector evolved from a highly regulated and concentrated market with a handful of players in the 1970s to a more liberalized albeit still regulated market with hundreds of small operators. Major reforms in bus transport regulation were carried out in the early 1990s and 2000s among which were more liberal policy and a supposed moratorium on new franchises. The current market operates under a complicated regime where regulation and enforcement is shared by several agencies. Market inefficiencies manifest in too many operators and buses, and indiscipline in the road adding to traffic congestion problems in the Metro. The fragmented nature of both the sector`s regulatory and supply side impedes synchronization among stakeholders and incurs huge costs to industry operators and the riding public.

Competition reform in the Philippine rice sector

By Briones, Roehlano M; Dela Pena, Beulah. Makati City Philippine Institute for Development Studies 2015 , The rice sector is regulated by the National Food Authority, with imports under a statutory monopoly. Consistent with previous studies done on the rice supply chain, a rapid appraisal finds that the domestic paddy and rice supply chain is highly competitive. Entry into import business is however severely curtailed. Welfare analysis indicates that in 2013, if quantitative restrictions were eliminated and rice imports were allowed to freely enter the country, rice imports would have increased tenfold, bringing down the retail price of rice to PHP 19.80/kg from PHP 33.08/kg. Consumer surplus would have increased by PHP 178 billion, compared to a PHP 34 billion reduction in producer surplus, for a net social benefit of PHP 138 billion. This paper recommends tariffication, i.e., liberalized importation policy with moderate tariffs.