Balisacan backs liberalization of professional, education sectors

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Competition Commission chair Arsenio Balisacan said yesterday the opening up of professions and ownership of educational institutions to foreigners would improve further the country’s competition landscape.

Balisacan, a former socioeconomic planning chief, expressed yesterday his support to President Duterte’s plans to open the country’s telecommunications and energy sectors to foreigners, but called for the liberalization of other key sectors as well.

 “That is very good, opening up the country to more competition.

It has been a very well recognized need for development in this country. Any serious researcher or observer of this country will know that the absence of competition or the lack or insufficiency of competition between our local firms and foreign firms is a big part of the problem that we have had in our underdevelopment. So it’s highly desirable from the perspective of society,” Balisacan said in response to the President’s earlier pronouncements to add more players to the country’s energy and telecommunications sectors.

The head of the country’s anti-trust authority cited the need to open up professions and ownership of educational institutions to foreigners to ensure a stronger and more competitive Philippine economy.

 “Educational institutions are putting up branches in Malaysia, in Vietnam, but they could not come here because our constitution prohibits foreigners from putting up schools. That’s why we are losing opportunity,” Balisacan said.

 “Another example is in the practice of profession, there are some restrictions on the constitution for that,” he added.

Balisacan said relaxing restrictions of the economy to foreign investors would be beneficial to Filipinos as it would improve the environment of competition in the country.

 “It can shift enterprises from that frame to thinking about what they can do to improve the quality of their services, to reduce their cost, because if they don’t improve their services and reduce their cost, there will be other suppliers out there who can grab their market. If you can develop that culture among our businesses, our country can become more progressive, efficient and growth can be more inclusive,” he said.