Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU to launch first PCC academic hub in Region 1

By Benedict Jay Collado

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement on August 11, Mariano Marcos State University, through the Department of Economics at the College of Business, Economics and Accountancy, is set to host the first Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Academic Hub in the Ilocos Region. 

The academic hub, a collaborative academic partnership between PCC and Philippine universities, aims to advance knowledge in competition economics, law, and policy within higher education. 

It will primarily help students understand market rivalries and their impact on pricing, innovation, and consumer choice, while opening new opportunities to study microeconomics and how the government should create rules to regulate competition.

The initiative is part of the PCC Academic Hubs Project, a component of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Capacity Building to Foster Competition Project (CBFCP). 

Under the newly signed agreement, MMSU will serve as a partner Higher Education Institution (HEI) working with PCC to build academic capacity and uphold research in market competition. According to Mr. Edgardo Manuel Jopson, MMSU is the second HEI to sign an agreement with PCC for academic hubs, and the first in the region.

The pact emphasized that the MMSU-Department of Economics will integrate competition economics, law, and policy into course syllabi in relevant courses and will include co-developed courses in its regular academic offerings beyond the initial pilot phase in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027. 

Students and faculty will also gain access to PCC academic research platforms and relational web-based databases to expand academic research capabilities. Along with this, the MOA will open up pathways for visiting research fellowships, joint policy studies, and PCC On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunities for BS Economics students.
 

PCC Director Carlos L. Vega, in his speech, highlighted the importance of this agreement to both PCC and MMSU. “This memorandum of agreement is not aimed to restrict output or dampen innovation; it's quite the opposite. We aim to combine our technical competencies to increase output and spur innovative thinking.”

Dr. Vega also emphasized that this initiative aims to further enrich knowledge in competition economics. “We also want to expand output in the form of knowledge creation in competition economics, particularly in industrial organization”.

Meanwhile, University President Dr. Virgilio Julius P. Manzano Jr. shared that this collaboration will significantly benefit the students of the university. “We firmly believe that every partnership brings added value to MMSU. By signing this agreement, we are not merely formalizing a document; we are committed to creating a lasting impact and legacy for our stakeholders”.