It’s the first suit of its kind

One condo builder has been hit with an anti-trust suit for violating Philippine competition laws by refusing to allow any other ISP to service their tenants.

A “statement of objections” was filed on March 27 against Urban Deca Homes Manila Condominium Corp and 8990 Holdings Inc for “abuse of dominance” by the Philippine Competition Commission.

The case is the first of its kind filed by the PCC.

Abuse of Dominance or Abuse Of Dominant Position violates Section 15 of the Philippine Competition Act, which states “It shall be prohibited for one or more entities to abuse their dominant position by engaging in conduct that would substantially prevent, restrict or lessen competition.

“This is a fair warning to businesses that resort to exclusive partnerships to corner profit and hinder the entry of other competitors in an exercise of its market power,” said PCC enforcement office director Orlando Polinar.

According to the PCC, the condominium’s property manager blocked other internet providers from entering and servicing tenants except for Itech Rar Solutions Inc., which provided 2Mbps internet for just Php 1,249.

The “Fiber to Deca Homes” service was also slow, expensive, and unreliable, the PCC said.

Under the Philippine Competition Act, an entity found to have abused its dominance in the market could face a fine of up to P100 million.

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