PCC fines onion importers a record P1.76-billion for alleged cartel behavior

The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) on Thursday penalized several onion importers and traders for cartel behavior which led the price of local onion to surge to around P800 per kilo in 2022.
The respondents were fined a record P1.76 billion.

Charged for violation of the Philippine Competition Act are a freight forwarder, a cold storage operator, and several onion importers, as well as officers and owners of firms.

The competition watchdog said a court-ordered raid in September 2023 uncovered that the freight forwarder systematically applied for import clearances using multiple separate corporate identities.

“By accumulating permits across separate corporate entities, the respondents collectively controlled nearly 50 percent of all approved import clearances for red and yellow (or white) onions in 2020 and 2021, routing imported shipments to cold storage facilities...from where imported onions were distributed nationwide,” the PCC said in a statement.

GMA News Online is trying to reach out to the respondents for their comment. We will post them once available. — BM, GMA News