THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE LIVELIHOOD OF

THE LOW-INCOME INFORMAL WORKERS IN FIVE (5) OF THE MOST POPULOUS

BARANGAYS IN DUMAGUETE CITY

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For Research in Daily Life 2

Comments from Enzo: We already know that the economic impacts are adverse (in terms
of country and gdp and etc.). Now, we are trying to find out how these adverse economic
impacts affect their livelihood

Jonathan Warlito Jong

Enzo Miguel Kho
Geoffrey Daniel Melaño
Danielle Brooke Palomar
Nina Jean Tangpos

October 2021
 Introduction

Background of the Study

In the time of modernization and the emergence of various forms of technological advances
brought by the rapid spread of globalization, this had not spared the modern world as it entered
the second half-decade of the 21st century to an unforeseeable dilemma. In March 2020, the
World Health Organization (WHO) had brought the shocking news of declaring COVID-19 as a
worldwide pandemic. The WHO (2020) identified COVID-19 as a newly discovered strain of the
infectious disease that has now infected more than 250 million people globally as of November
2021. Before the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, little was known of this disease.
However, the recent chain of events, which led to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has
now affected almost every country globally. Since then, the world has been engulfed in an
unprecedented crisis at all levels in its societies.

Policymakers responded decisively to COVID-19 with necessary measures to slow the virus's
spread and save and protect lives. However, lockdowns and other restrictive measures to contain
the pandemic have had a devastating impact on already weak labor markets. The COVID-19 has
drastically affected the livelihood of the poor, underprivileged, and marginalized sectors of our
society due to job losses and other shocks to income and diminished livelihoods. Poor
households and those dependent on informal jobs are considered the most vulnerable sector of
society in this pandemic because their income depends on the amount of work they put in. Not to
mention, they also do not have social security (International Labor Organization [ILO], 2020).
Even before the pandemic, individuals in the informal economy, such as casual workers,
temporary workers, or daily or hourly wage workers, are already vulnerable to labor shocks.
They are typically paid less, have little labor protection, and are prone to facing occupational
risks (ILO, 2018).

Recent statistics of the International Labor Organization (2020) revealed that as a result of the
economic crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic, 1.6 billion informal workers, out of a
worldwide total of two billion informal workers and a global workforce of 3.3 billion, have
suffered enormous damage to their capacity to sustain their daily livelihood. Furthermore, the
ILO (2020) estimated that the number of people living in poverty would increase by 2% for
every percentage point of the global economic slowdown. This has been observed in the study
conducted by Sumner et al. (2020), which projected that COVID-19 could potentially increase
global poverty for the first time since 1990. As such, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder (2020)
explains that no income means no food, security, and a future for millions of workers. The
shocks and stresses brought by the COVID-19 crisis globally lead to devastating socio-economic
disruptions of people, wherein both lives and livelihoods are at risk due to this pandemic. Tens of
thousands of people are losing their income and falling into the trap of impending poverty of our
capitalist society as a direct consequence of the economic crisis (World Health Organization
[WHO], 2020). Overall, the pre-existing socio-economic conditions of the people in developing
nations that forced lockdown without ensuring the fundamental human needs, infrastructure,
communication, weak governance, and health care facilities create an immense disturbance in the
lives of the low-income informal workers.

Previously, the adverse impacts of pandemics on the economy had been widely studied. For
instance, research on the effects of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreak in Africa
showed that the outbreak had reduced young people's access to livelihood assets (Gayle & Hill,
2001). However, the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the informal economy,
specifically on their livelihood, are still unclear. Various theories and previous research studies
have also explained the impacts of the crisis on the informal economy but are not specific to the
crisis' conditions. In turn, it becomes a kind of puzzle that needs to be completed (Pitoyo et al.,
2020).

Most importantly, this condition is undoubtedly a big challenge for low and middle-income
countries, like the Philippines, where the level of informality is relatively high. According to the
country's Labor Force Survey (2017) statistics, 38.3 percent of people employed are in
vulnerable forms of employment. This implies that roughly two out of five employees are less
likely to have formal employment agreements and access to social protection, placing them at
significant risk during a crisis.

Therefore, this research aims to investigate the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic on the livelihood of the low-income informal workers in five (5) of the most populous
barangays in Dumaguete City. Low-income informal workers in this study pertain to those
people under the informal sector who depend on daily earnings for their living, with income
ranging below the poverty threshold of the Philippines of PhP10,481 monthly average.
Particularly, the researchers limit this to the following groups: public transportation drivers,
construction workers, and street vendors aged 18-59 years of age. Studying this certain issue
would allow a greater and more concrete understanding of the adverse economic impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihood of low-income informal workers. Moreover, the study
also hopes to formulate recommendations that would uplift the conditions of the low-income
informal workers in these barangays. The researchers believe that this is something that should
be given importance and would like to delve deeper into this matter. The researchers also hope
that the outcomes of this study will be included in the growing number of studies conducted in
relation to this.
Theoretical Framework

This study is grounded by the vulnerability approach theory by Chambers (1989). For him,
vulnerability has two sides: external and internal. The external side consists of risks, shocks, and
stress to which an individual or household is subject. Meanwhile, an internal side consists of
defencelessness, meaning a lack of means to cope without damaging loss. In short, vulnerability
is connected conceptually to external stresses and shocks and internal coping capacity (Chambers
and Conway, 1992). When taken into the context of this research study, this means that disasters
affect certain groups of people more than others. This is because social vulnerability is partially
the product of social inequalities (Cutter et al., 2013).

Most outbreaks and disasters, like the COVID-19 pandemic, adversely impact individuals not
through the disease itself, but through the labor market structure. Hence, in a broader sense,
disasters cause severe problems to societies affected by polarization. According to the
International Labour Organization (2020), the drop in working hours because of the pandemic is
expected to be significantly worse than previously estimated. Increased incidents of employees
being temporarily suspended from work or asked to take the ‘no-pay’ leave, in turn, leads to an
increase in underemployment.

Theoretically, this boils down to the political and economic system of our country. A famous
theorist and philosopher, Karl Marx, once said that when a society is in a state of decline, the
worker suffers most severely. Today, this statement of his holds true, occurring in the current
situation we are in now. Marx has pointed out that workers in a capitalist system are replaceable
and not permanent. Hence, in times of struggle, they will be the first ones the company owners
would surrender. In other words, they would be the "pawns" that go first in the battle if taken
from the context of a chess game. This argument, where our society's system practices today is
unstable and leaves many vulnerable, is grounded by various previous studies.

First, in a comparative study of the 1918 pandemic to the current one, the less intense spread of
the influenza virus in nonmetropolitan regions partially mitigated the adverse economic impact
of the 1918 pandemic. Employment at that time was heavily concentrated in natural resources
and mining, and jobs in this sector were overwhelmingly located in nonmetropolitan regions with
lower population density. Therefore, Basco et al. (2020) find a slight decline in agricultural
productivity as a result of the 1918 flu. In contrast, in 2017, only 1.7 percent of prime-age
workers were situated in the natural resources and mining sectors compared to the 35.9 percent
workforce in 1920. This suggests that today's population is densely populated in urban areas, in
turn allowing COVID-19 to spread rapidly than it would have in 1918 and cause more significant
economic harm.

Furthermore, today's bustling economy also holds a much larger share of the labor force in
sectors that are neither deemed essential nor able to telework, such as hospitality and leisure.
These particular sectors employed close to 10 percent of the labor force in 2017, compared to 2.6
percent in 1920. Workers in these sectors are primarily vulnerable to the impacts of the partial
economic shutdowns because, aside from the lack of social protection, their jobs are mandated to
abide by the stay-at-home orders. As a result, millions have lost their jobs. With this, we contend
that these differences in where employment is concentrated in terms of both geography and
industry have allowed COVID-19 to cause a more significant toll on the labor market than it
would have in 1918.

Second, in capitalist countries, governments are essentially under the control of the capital. They
are taking more consideration in the status of the capital and their economy rather than the
general welfare of the people. Notably, during this pandemic, the capitalist framework has
increasingly prioritized cost-cutting. Therefore, the people who are not paid well and are still
unpaid have to consequently risk their lives in times of the pandemic to hold up to a system
significantly underfunded due to its capitalistic exploitation and lack of consideration for the
importance of safeguarding its human capital. As Costas Lapavitsas (2020) puts it, in an article,
he had written on an online website, Jacobin, "The measures to deal with the crisis risk spurring
an authoritarian controlled capitalism — one that protects corporate interests while offloading
the costs onto the rest of us." Even the famous philosopher, Karl Marx, agrees that the
exploitation of labor is the precondition for capital and capitalism to exist. The government will
do everything necessary and will continue to exploit the masses to secure the existence of
capitalist corporations, prioritizing profits and accumulation over public health and welfare.

Third, the ILO says the informal workers are also less likely to have their own financial cushion,
leaving them with stark choices: to die from hunger or the virus. Therefore, it is inevitable that
the group with relatively high sensitivity to the pandemic receives the greatest negative impact
compared to other groups. Aside from that, the vulnerability approach implicitly suggests that
the effects of disasters like pandemics vary according to not only physical vulnerability but also
to economic class or status. For instance, in a study conducted in Korea, it is suggested that the
vulnerable and peripheral groups in the dual labor market in Korea would be affected more by
pandemics (Cho & Lee, 2016). Blaikie, Cannon, Davis, and Wisner (1994) stated that disaster
affects people differently depending on socioeconomic pressure and the intersection with
physical exposure.

To conclude, crises such as pandemics, natural disasters do not affect all people equally. Hence,
through assessing related theories and previous studies of the effects of the previous pandemics
and different natural disasters on the working class, we will have a more in-depth analysis of the
adverse impacts of COVID-19 on the livelihood of the low-income informal workers.
Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework showing the relationship of variables

Figure 1 displays the essential variables involved in this study, showing a straightforward, cause
and effect relationship. As observed, the Adverse Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic
serves as the independent variable, which includes This will be the control factor which will be
the element that remains constant and unaffected by other variables. Meanwhile, the Livelihood
of the Low-income Informal Workers serve as the study’s dependent variable. This will be the
factor that will be affected by the independent variable. Finally, the mediating variables are the
target participants of this study, which are the public transportation drivers, construction workers,
and street vendors.

Statement of the Problem

As stipulated in Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution: “the State shall
afford full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and promote full
employment and equality of employment opportunities for all.” However, today, one of the main
issues that the members of informal sectors in our country face is the loss of opportunity to work.
Since mass lay-offs have been reported from these sectors, their source of income has been
substantially affected (ILO, 2020).
Therefore, this study aims to determine the extent of the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on the
livelihood of the low-income informal workers in five (5) of the most populous barangays in
Dumaguete City. Quantitative methods through structured survey questionnaires will be used to
answer the research questions. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following:

1. Is there an adverse economic impact of COVID-19 on the low-income informal workers’

incomes and jobs?

2. Is the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic affecting the low-income

informal workers’ ability to find the means of getting basic necessities and essentials?
(e.g. food, water, electricity, and healthcare)

3. Is the present livelihood condition of low-income informal workers stable enough for
them to survive for the next two (2) months?

Hypotheses

The researchers have formulated both a null and alternative hypothesis:

Null Hypothesis H0:

The Covid-19 pandemic has no definitive adverse economic impacts on the Livelihood of the
Low-Income Informal Workers in Five (5) of the Populous Barangays in Dumaguete City.
 Alternative Hypothesis Ha:

The Covid-19 pandemic has a definitive adverse economic impact on the Livelihood of the
Low-Income Informal Workers in Five (5) of the Populous Barangays in Dumaguete City.

Significance of the Study

This research will be carried out to determine the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
on the livelihood of the low-income informal workers in five (5) of the most populous barangays
in Dumaguete City. This study's generalization and results would be a valuable addition to the
following:

● Local Government Unit of Dumaguete City

With the findings of the research, the Local Government Unit of Dumaguete City will gain
in-depth knowledge of the problem, which will be used in creating and implementing new
projects to alleviate the lives of the low-income informal workers of the city. Projects that further
develop the skill and qualifications of these individuals may be implemented and at the same
time, assist them in finding job opportunities based on their newly-acquired skills.

● Policy Makers

This research will be vital for policymakers in providing them with a baseline in drafting and
creating city regulations and policies. The findings of this research will also provide empirical
data to the policymakers to support their proposed city regulation or policy.

● Informal Workers

The informal workers serve as the beneficiaries of this study. Any advancement in workforce
management techniques might pave the path for greater service. By bringing their problems to
light, policymakers and government officials can aid solutions to the problems, in turn
benefitting the informal workers.

● Economists

The results of this study will contribute to the understanding of the economists of the problem by
providing them with a trend in data. This trend might provide a baseline for them to understand
the underlying problems and conditions the low-income informal workers in five (5) of the most
populous barangays in Dumaguete City are facing. Moreover, the results of this research paper
will also contribute to understanding the economic trend of our country. Therefore, this research
will give them the fundamentals and empirical data to create a framework for our economy, with
the workers being at the center of importance.

● Future Researchers

This study may be beneficial to future researchers in providing them with references for future
relevant investigations. This may also act as a guide for them to acquire material, serving as a
foundation for a more in-depth research study. Moreover, other researchers may replicate this
study to apply it in other provinces or regions in the country.
Scope and Limitations

This study aims to determine the adverse economic impacts of COVID-19 on the livelihood of
the low-income informal workers in the five (5) most populous barangays in Dumaguete City.
These five barangays are Batinguel, Banilad, Candau-ay, Bagacay, and Taclobo. Moreover, this
study will be under the supervision of Miss Erl Rose Ramirez, Practical Research in Daily Life 2
instructor, in the school year of 2021-2022. Convenience sampling will be used to select
participants from the five mentioned barangays in Dumaguete City in terms of their availability.
Overall, a total of 100 respondents will be involved in the study. The research will be using even
distribution, ensuring that each barangay will have 20 respondents.

The research participants will be limited to public transportation drivers, construction workers,
and street vendors, male or female aged 18-59 years of age. They are considered low-income
informal workers as they depend on daily earnings for their living, with income ranging below
the poverty threshold of the Philippines, which is PhP 10,481 monthly on average. The gathering
of data will start once the overall topic proposal is approved by the panel.

Furthermore, this study will not include other impacts towards the low-income informal workers
other than the economic impacts brought by the pandemic. Other low-income informal
working-class groups that are not mentioned above will be excluded from the study. Also,
residents from different barangays of Dumaguete City, aside from the ones mentioned above, are
also excluded.
Definition of Terms

The researchers define the following in the context of the study:

Barangays are small divisions of communities which refers to the following: Batinguel,
Banilad, Candau-ay, Bagacay, and Taclobo.

COVID-19 is a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to
more severe diseases discovered in 2019.

Adverse Economic Impact is a situation in which a country's economic activity declines

significantly as a result of the strict lockdown protocols and restrictions implemented.

Economic Activity refers to the activity of making, providing, purchasing, or selling goods or
services.

Informal Economy is an economic activity that is not taxed and is not under government
observation. In the informal economy, there are usually two terms that are widely used, namely,
the informal sector and informal workers.

Informal Sector is defined as a business that is not a legal entity, thus, being under the informal
sector. These are usually owned by households or individuals.

Informal Workers refer to workers who are not registered nor protected by the legal framework,
do not have work contracts, secure work incomes, worker benefits, and social protection. For this
study, mainly, the researchers limit this to the following groups: public transportation drivers,
construction workers, and street vendors.

Income is the amount of cash or money that an employee or business receives in return for
working or providing a product or service.

Livelihood refers to the low-income informal workers’ assets (material resources and activities)
and basic necessities required for them to secure a means of living, which includes stable job,
stable means of income, ability to find the means of food, water, electricity, and medicine.

Low-income is used to describe those who earn below the poverty threshold of the Philippines
of an average monthly income of PhP 10,481.

Mass Layoff is when an establishment stops employing most of its employees, temporarily or
permanently, due to its declining sales.

Pandemic is an epidemic occurring on a scale that crosses international boundaries, usually

affecting people on a worldwide scale.
Poverty refers to those who lack the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard
of living. They are those below the poverty threshold of the Philippines of PhP 10,481 monthly
average.

Socio-Economic Condition refers to the social standing of an individual or group and is

associated with a combination of education, income, ability to sustain basic necessities, and
occupation.

Strict Lockdown Protocols and Restrictions are the confinement of individuals or groups to
their homes or place of residency for long or short periods of time as a temporary security
measure.

Barangay Head refers to the person acting as the chief of the barangay. This can be the
Barangay Chairperson, addressed as Barangay Captain, or the Barangay Captain's appointed
representative.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study employs quantitative and descriptive research approaches through the use of survey
questionnaires as the primary research instrument used in collecting data. Specifically, this
research will identify the cause and effect relationship between and among the different variables
identified in the study. Following the structured survey questionnaires, the main objective of
descriptive research is to describe the data and its characteristics. Furthermore, since the
researchers are trying to describe and analyze the data to gain a better perspective and
understanding of the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihood of
the low-income informal workers, this study should use the descriptive method to analyze the
data.

Research Environment

The study will take place in five (5) of the most populous barangays in Dumaguete City, Negros
Oriental, Philippines, under the supervision of Ms. Erl Rose Ramirez, Practical Research in
Daily Life 2 instructor. These five (5) most populous barangays in the city are Batinguel,
Banilad, Candau-ay, Bagacay, and Taclobo.

Furthermore, Dumaguete City, also known as the City of Gentle People, is more than just a travel
hub to the surrounding tourist attractions and scuba-dive destinations. Dumaguete is a coastal
component city in the province of Negros Oriental and serves as the provincial capital. It is also
the most populous city in the province of Negros Oriental. It has a total population of 134,103
people, according to the 2020 Population Census of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Research Participants and Sampling Procedure

The intended respondents of this study are low-income informal workers from the five (5) most
populous barangays in Dumaguete City. Based on the 2020 Population Census, these barangays
are Batinguel, Banilad, Candau-ay, Bagacay, and Taclobo.

The researchers will be choosing those who are applicable in the study from the mentioned
barangays. Assistance from the respective barangay heads will be needed to identify the target
respondents of this study. A convenience sampling method will be done to select the respondents
who are most accessible and willing to participate.

The number of respondents required to conduct this study, as set by the course instructor, is 100.
The researchers will use even distribution to ensure that each barangay has 20 respondents (see
table 1).

Table 1
Number of Respondents per Barangay from the five (5) Most Populous Barangay in Dumaguete
City

No. Barangay Population No. of

(as of 2020 Census) Respondents

1 Batinguel 9,965 20
2 Banilad 9,664 20
3 Candau-ay 9,593 20
4 Bagacay 9,592 20
5 Taclobo 9,458 20
 TOTAL 48, 272 100

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

i. Inclusion Criteria

The selection of respondents includes those who are Filipino citizens (naturally-born or
naturalized in accordance with the Philippine naturalization laws), male or female aged 18 to 59.
The intended respondents are classified as low-income informal workers with monthly family
income below the poverty threshold of the Philippines, which is below PHP 10,481. Specifically,
for this study, the respondents will only be limited to the following working-class groups: public
transportation drivers, construction workers, and street vendors. Lastly, they should also be
permanent residents of the five (5) most populous barangays in Dumaguete City.

ii. Exclusion Criteria

Other low-income informal working-class groups that do not fall in any of the working-class
group categories identified in the study are excluded. Moreover, residents from different
barangays of Dumaguete City are also excluded from the study. Lastly, low-income informal
workers outside of the age bracket set by the researchers, which is from 18-59 years old, will
also be excluded from the research sample.

Research Instruments

The researchers will make use of structured survey questionnaires. With this, the researchers will
be conducting the closed-ended survey questions. Moreover, the researchers are taking into
account the socio-economic conditions of most of its participants. Hence, the researchers will be
doing the survey question in the most accessible means for the participants: through scheduled
phone calls. This is also mainly because of the restrictions brought upon by the pandemic, which
is why the researchers cannot physically do the research survey.
Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers will follow convenience sampling by collecting research data from low-income
informal workers' available groups of respondents. Moreover, the researchers will be following
an even distribution to ensure that each barangay has a uniform share of the number of
respondents. The researchers will first gain the participants' contact information from the head of
the barangay through a letter of request sent via email. After gaining access to the participants'
contact information, the researchers will then message the participants to schedule a session to
do the survey through a phone call. The participants who do not reply will receive a total of three
messages for reminders, with a five-day interval in each text message. If still, there is no reply,
the researcher will move along, seeing that the participant might not be available or interested.

For the interested and available participants, once a schedule is set, the researchers will then call
the participant. During the call, the researchers will first briefly describe the aims of the research
to the respondents and ask for their verbal consent. The average duration of the phone call survey
will be 10-15 minutes so as to not waste the time of the respondents too much and to avoid them
from zoning out. The consultation and questions will be based on the structured questionnaire
prepared by the researchers beforehand. Once the data has been collected from the target
audience, the data will then be analyzed.

Data Analysis Procedure

The study will employ a quantitative data analysis procedure where descriptive statistics such as
frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations will be used. The data will be first
transferred to Microsoft Excel. Afterward, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS,
Version 17) will be used to run the descriptive statistics. Tables and figures will be used to
summarize the data. The quantitative data will be derived from the respondents' close-ended
questionnaires about the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
low-income informal workers' livelihood.

If needed, a follow-up interview will be done to validate some inconsistencies in the respondent's
answers and clarify some misconceptions and ambiguity to their answers.

Ethical Considerations

This research will honor the ethical standards set by generic research ethics. In doing so, the
participants will be informed about all the steps to be taken in this research. First and foremost,
respondents will be asked for their verbal consent before taking part in this study, as it is seen as
vital to the success of the research. The participants are more important than the study, and
therefore will always be respected. The participants will be informed that participation in the
study is entirely voluntary and will not affect their jobs in any way. Each respondent has the right
to decline the survey form if they wish to do so. Most of all, confidentiality will be provided to
the research respondents, and the data collection material will also be destroyed on the
completion of the study. Moreover, the works of other authors and researchers will be
acknowledged and given full credit by citing their works found at the end of this paper.

Results
Sociodemographic Information
Categories Groups Percent

Sex Female 40

Male 60

Total 100

Age 18 - 23 14

24 - 29 17

30 - 35 11

36 - 41 10

42 - 47 9

48 - 53 19

54 - 59 18

60 - 74 2

Total 100

Civil Status Married 60

Separated 9

Single 25

Widowed 6

Total 100

Highest Educational Level College Graduate

Attained (at present) (4-year/5-year course) 6

College undergraduate 10

Elementary graduate 11

Elementary 3
undergraduate

Graduate of any 2-year 0

course 10
(Vocational/TESDA
courses)
 High School Graduate 17

High school 23
undergraduate

No Formal Education 18

Post-graduate (Masters 2
or PhD)

Total 100

Occupation Construction Worker 30

Public Transportation 23
Driver (PUVs, PUJs,
etc.)

Street Vendor 47

Total 100

How long have you been in

your current job? 1-2 years 20

2-4 years 15

4-5 years 16

5-6 years 3

less than a year 19

More than 6 years 27

Total 100

Type Of Employment Casual 1

Contractual 14

Regular (Private or 28
Public employee)

Self-employed 57

Total 100

Barangay Bagacay 20
 Banilad 20

Batinguel 20

Candau-ay 20

Taclobo 20

Total 100

Number of Family Members

Living in the Household:
(including you) 1 2

2 9

3 22

4 27

5 16

6 or more 24

Total 100

This section presents the results that were gathered regarding the adverse economic impact to the
low-income informal workers of the 5 most populous barangays in Dumaguete City. The data
gathered will be presented in frequencies through percentages, mean, and standard deviation.

Table One shows the sociodemographic profile of the respondents. It can be observed that the
majority of the respondents are Male (60%) while the rest are Female with (40%). Most of them
are Highschool graduates (17%) and undergraduates (23%) or had no formal education (18%),
which is generally a feature of the education level of low-income informal workers in the
country. Moreover, (47%) of the interviewed respondents are Street vendors, then (30%) are
Construction workers and the rest (23%) are public transportation drivers.

(57 %) of the respondents are generally self-employed while the remaining are divided into
regular employees(28%) and contractual(14%) and casual(1%). The researchers used an even
distribution and so each of the 5 most populous barangays in Dumaguete city had 20 respondents
each that totals to a 100. On average, the interviewees have been working for (n) years within
their current job. The data also shows that the respondents have (n) members (mean) per
household.
Impact on Income and Job

The pandemic has caused informal workers to have experienced being forced to stop working
in their current job because of the pandemic’s strict lockdown protocols and restrictions during
the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 until November 2021. As you can see, 76 out of 100
respondents citing “yes”, have been forced out of work during the pandemic. In parallel, 24 out
of 100 respondents did not experience being forced out of work. Therefore, most of the
informal workers experienced being forced to stop working during the COVID-19 pandemic from
all the chosen 5 barangays; Batinguel, Banilad, Candau-ay, Bagacay, and Taclobo.
Both charts show the respondents' experienced working hours. The pandemic has shown to
have an adverse effect with the daily working hours of the informal workers. Seen in the pie
chart above shows a staggering reduced number of work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic
from March 2020 until November 2021. 74 out of 100 respondents had a reduced number of
work hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We had also calculated the total average daily working hours and it is clear that the pandemic
has negatively affected the number of working hours. The respondents had to answer whether
they had less than 4 hours, 4-6 hours, 6-8 hours, 8-10 hours or 10 or more hours of working
daily both before and during the pandemic in separate questions. Based on the results of the
survey, before the pandemic the majority of the respondents answered 6-8 hours of work while
during the pandemic the majority of respondents answered 4-6 hours. The results were that the
daily average working hours of the informal workers in 2019 was 7.43 hours, while the daily
average during COVID-19 is 5.65 hours. This means their daily working hours were cut short by
1.78 hours which is very bad in terms of their ability to survive. As mentioned before an
informal worker’s income is determined by the number of hours they work. Therefore, by losing
1.78 hours it has caused a negative impact, causing reduced income costing their ability for
survival.
The charts above show the relationship between monthly income and the pandemic. It shows
that the pandemic has majorly decreased the informal worker’s monthly income. On the pie
chart as you can see, 79 out of 100 have experienced a substantial loss in income during the
pandemic. While remaining 21 respondents responded with no decrease whatsoever.
Above is a bar graph showing the monthly average of income before and during COVID-19. The
respondents had to answer whether they had less than 2,000, 2,000-4,000, 4,000-6,000,
6,000-8,000, 8,000-10,000 or 10,000 or more monthly income for both before and during the
pandemic. Based on the results of the survey, 8,000-10,000 was their monthly income before
the pandemic while 6,000-8,000 during the pandemic. The results showed the monthly average
income of the informal workers in 2019 was Php. 8280.45, while the monthly average during
COVID-19 is Php. 6240.41. This shows adverse effects of the pandemic to the average income of
the informal workers, a substantial decrease of Php 2,040.04 in their monthly income.
Above is the relationship between monthly spending and the pandemic. Spending refers to the
informal workers buying food, water, medicine, other basic needs and necessities. On the pie
chart above, 63 out of 100 have experienced a decrease in spending. In contrast to the 37
respondents spending the same amount of money as before.
Above is a bar graph showing the monthly average spending before and during COVID-19. The
respondents had to answer whether they spent less than 2,000, 2,000-4,000, 4,000-6,000,
6,000-8,000, 8,000-10,000 or 10,000 or more monthly for both before and during the pandemic.
Based on the results of the survey, before the pandemic the majority answered 6,000-8,000 as
their monthly spendings while during the pandemic the majority answered 4,000-6,000. The
results were that informal workers in 2019 spent Php. 5680.38 monthly, while COVID-19 their
average spendings is Php. 4480.35 monthly. Therefore, the pandemic has adversely affected the
informal workers' spending with a substantial decrease in their spending during the pandemic.
By spending less these individuals had either bought cheaper products or had to cut down the
amount of their basic necessities and needs. Due to the decrease in income during the
pandemic as mentioned above.
Above shows the experience of informal workers in borrowing money from banks, credit
cooperatives, and other money lending channels since January 2019 to cover my monthly living
expenses. In the pie chart, 97 respondents have experienced borrowing money since January
2019. While 3 respondents have not been borrowing money at all.
The bar graph above shows the monthly average of the borrowed amount before and during
COVID-19. The respondents had to answer whether they borrowed none, less than 1,500,
1,500-3,000, 3,000-4,500, 4,500-6,000, 6,000-6,500, 6,500-8,000, 8,000-9,500, 9,500 or more
monthly for both before and during the pandemic. Based on the results of the survey, Php
1,500-3,000 was their monthly amount borrowed before and during the pandemic. The results
show in 2019, informal workers borrowed Php. 2621.63 monthly, while during COVID-19 their
average amount borrowed Php. 3116.48 monthly. This shows the pandemic increasing the
amount of borrowed money the informal worker asked from banks, credit cooperatives, and
other money lending channels since January 2019 to cover my monthly living expenses. Causing
a huge substantial increase in debt that is more challenging for them to pay. Due to the amount
of their monthly income reduce because of the pandemic.
The pie chart depicts whether there was an increase in the amount borrowed by respondents
during the Pandemic from March 2020 until November 2021. 67 respondents had experienced
no increase in the amount of money borrowed while 33 respondents had. Therefore, for most
informal workers there has been no substantial increase in the amount of money borrowed
during the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020 until November 2021.

Impact on Living Expenses

Standard Verbal
Mean Deviation Interpretation

1. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I had difficulty providing food for the
household due to financial difficulties. 3.81 1.05 Agree

2. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I ate less than I used to before
pandemic due to financial difficulties. 3.73 0.93 Agree

3. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I had difficulty paying household bills
due to financial difficulties (e.g. water and electricity). 3.86 1.01 Agree

4. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I had difficulty getting health care
treatment when needed due to financial difficulties. 3.84 1.01 Agree

5. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I had difficulty getting medicines when
needed due to financial difficulties. 3.81 1.00 Agree
 6. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to
November 2021, I had difficulty in paying house
rent/loan due to financial difficulties. 3.76 1.06 Agree

7. I have experienced selling my properties and

personal belongings to cover my living expenses during
the COVID-19 pandemic due to financial difficulties
(from March 2020 until November 2021). 4.24 1.29 Strongly Agree

8. During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to

November 2021, I received some form of cash or food
assistance from the government. 4.07 0.66 Strongly Agree

9. The government-initiated subsidies during the

COVID-19 pandemic (from March 2020 until November
2021) are effective in supporting my basic daily needs Strongly
in terms of food and monetary support. 1.75 1.08 Disagree

Table two discusses the results gathered regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the
living expenses of the low income informal workers. Regarding their food, the respondents have
agreed that they have experienced difficulties in providing it for their families due to financial
difficulties (M=3.81;SD=1.05). As a result, they have resorted to eating less than they were used
to cope with the struggle (M=3.73;SD=0.93). The respondents also expressed how they agree in
having difficulties in paying household bills (e.g. water and electricity) (M=3.86;SD=1.01) and
paying house rent/loan(M=3.76; SD=1.06) due to financial challenges brought upon them during
the pandemic.

In regards to their healthcare, the respondents mostly agreed that it was difficult for them to
receive the proper treatment because of financial problems (M=3.84; SD=1.01). Along with that,
they also have agreed to having challenges regarding their ability to buy the necessary
medicines that they need (M=3.81;SD=1.00). The respondents were also asked about their
coping mechanism in catching up to their living expenses and they strongly agreed to have
experienced selling their personal belongings to cover their expenses during the
pandemic(M=4.24;SD=1.29) which shows that the COVID-19 pandemic truly has taken a toll in
regards to their usual income.

Moreover, the respondents were asked about the government's support towards them during the
pandemic from March 2020 to November 2021 and how it has affected their expenses during
those times. Most of the respondents strongly agree to have received some form of cash grant
and/or food assistance from the government(M=4.07;SD=0.66). However, despite being able to
receive aid, the respondents have expressed that the subsidies given to them aren’t effective
enough to support their basic daily needs (M=1.75; SD=1.08).

Section 3

Standard
Mean Deviation Verbal Interpretation

1. I find it challenging to support my basic

necessities (e.g. food, water, electricity,
medicines, and rent) for the next two months
considering my present living condition. 3.89 0.89 Agree

2. I find it challenging to store enough savings to

cover any personal unforeseen medical or
financial emergency for the next two (2) months. 3.91 0.87 Agree

3. I find it challenging to support my basic needs

(e.g. food, water, electricity, medicine, and rent) if I
were to encounter unforeseeable financial or
medical emergencies considering my current
financial capacity (at the time of answering this
survey) 3.95 0.88 Agree

Table three shows results of data gathered regarding the respondents’ stability of present
livelihood conditions to survive for the next two months. Considering their present livelihood
conditions, the respondents have agreed that they find it challenging to keep up with their basic
necessities (e.g. food, water, electricity, medicines, and rent) (M=3.89; SD=0.89). They also
stated to have difficulties in storing enough savings to cover any unforeseen expenses that they
might encounter for the next two months (M=3.91; SD=0.87). Additionally, they were also asked
regarding their current financial capacity in terms of their savings and most of them agreed that it
is challenging to support their basic needs (e.g. food, water, electricity, medicine, and rent) if
they were to encounter unforeseeable financial or medical emergencies(M=3.95; SD=0.88)
Discussion

The results of this study is all about finding in what area of basic needs or necessities are the
informal workers struggling to obtain. The main purpose of this investigation is to know if
COVID-19 does hold adverse effects in the economic lives of these individuals and specifically,
what would these difficulties be. With the found results, an overwhelming amount of respondents
has reported to have experienced adverse negative economic impacts on their day-to-day lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon differences in their lifestyle that affected the present
livelihood conditions of the low-income informal workers. Chambers (1989) has stated that
vulnerability is connected conceptually to external stresses and shocks and internal coping
capacity. In previous studies also, it has been observed that vulnerable and peripheral groups in
the dual labor market would be affected more by pandemics (Cho & Lee, 2016). Everyone was
not ready for that crisis to hit, however, the low-income informal workers have suffered the most
damage.

This study has shown that the low-income informal workers have shared more or less similar
situations during the first months of the pandemic. The pandemic made their unguaranteed living
worse with less income and less savings. It also made saving more difficult for them that will
become painstakingly obvious once other unforeseeable expenses come their way. The results of
the study have shown how the unexpected crisis challenged the low-income informal workers in
terms of their spendings, healthcare, and income stability. Compared to previous estimations, the
ILO(2020) has expected that the drop in working hours will be worse during this pandemic. This
has been proved true as the results show that working hours of the informal workers were
severely shortened due to the strict lockdowns, affecting their earnings. The investigation also
showed similar results from Philippines COVID-19 Households Survey (2020). With less job
hours, it means less income and so they also have less earnings to spend on their daily needs.
Cutting down on food intake has become one of the main coping mechanisms of low-income
families to be able to survive during the pandemic.

Income losses not only caused food insecurity, but also threatened their health as results have
reported that the respondents were also having difficulty in the proper healthcare that they
needed. Though the government has given them cash grants and food allocations, as expressed
by the respondents, the results were opposed to the Philippines COVID-19 Households Survey
(2020). The interviewed low-income informal workers have stated that the government aid may
be present, but it’s not enough to hold up their daily sustenance. With this knowledge, we can
formulate a plan in ensuring the informal workers to continue working under the same hours as
they were before and present this proposal to the LGU and policy makers. An alternative would
be to have policy makers change or improve the terms of the strict lockdown procedures by
shortening it or to allow several people to be out and about. Not only to the informal workers but
to formal workers as well. Moreover, the results show a substantial number of individuals
struggling to pay for medical supplies (Medicines or Vitamins), medical services or
emergencies. With this we can formulate a way of improving or changing some aspects of the
healthcare systems to accommodate those who are struggling in attaining healthcare services.

However, the study does hold certain weaknesses and limitations under the study design and its
methods. Such as, limited to only five barangays in Dumaguete city and only having a sample
size of over 100 individuals. These limitations affect the variety of the results but covering such a
topic a larger sample size from other provinces and regions of the Philippines will give more
accurate mean values, identify and provide a smaller margin of error. The researchers agree to a
portion of bias in this study and survey questionnaire before conducting it and how it is today.
Namely, a moderate bias in the base questions in the survey show a focus of proving the adverse
effects of the pandemic. Rather than opening up to questions disclosing the positive effect of the
pandemic. Thus, shows a portion of influencing the result of the paper in favor of the proposed
hypothesis. However, the survey that was used in conducting the survey was a much improved
version with minimal to zero levels of bias. As the researchers have based their questionnaire
from other researches and questionnaires under the same subject. The questions were adjusted
and modified to fit our target audience and topic. Such as the research conducted by Sumalatha,
B.S., Bhat, L.D. and Chitra, K. P., (2021) on the Impact of Covid-19 on Informal Sector: A Study
of Women Domestic Workers in India. Another is a study conducted by Bair, F., Farooqui, A.Z.
Kamran, S. on their study on the COVID-19 and the New Normal for Women in the Economy in
Pakistan.

In terms with our theoretical theories, the results both agree and disagree in some to most aspects
in their ideology or expected results. However, despite the difference of results in other aspects
with other researches and theories does not mean in any form our research or other researches
and theories are not valid studies. As sample size, study settings, methodological approaches,
and population characteristics could be major factors responsible for differences in results from
the same studies or theories conducted by different researchers. For each research the researchers
have based their study and survey questions on, have no harmony between them as each one of
them works alone.

GUIDE FOR DISCUSSION

The first paragraph could focus on the general picture of what the results of the study are really
all about. If possible, it would be helpful to explain how the findings can add to current
knowledge, change health care, or so.
The next paragraph could address the strengths and limitations of the study design and methods
(1). It would be honest to comment how chance or bias might have influenced the results, how it
was minimised, and how the presented research is better than other that has been done before. It
should be continued by explaining how the results agree or disagree with other studies or related
theories. Of course, it is interesting to point out findings that relate only to other scientifically
valid studies! If conclusions differ to those reached by other researchers who have conducted
similar studies, one should try to explain why this has happened.

The last paragraph should be an exciting summary of scientific implications of the findings. The
"so what?" of the research needs to be very clear here. Reflections can slightly extend, without
overstating the significance. However, it is strongly suggested not to finish the discussion with
"Further studies are needed..." or a similar boring presumption to readers what they should do
next.

FROM NJ:

This study focused on the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the livelihood of the
low-income informal workers in five of the most populous barangays in Dumaguete City. With
the found results, an overwhelming amount of respondents has reported to have experienced
adverse negative economic impacts on their day-to-day lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has
brought upon differences in their lifestyle that affected the present livelihood conditions of the
low-income informal workers. Chambers (1989) has stated that vulnerability is connected
conceptually to external stresses and shocks and internal coping capacity. Moreover, Blaikie,
Cannon, Davis, and Wisner (1994) stated that disaster affects people differently depending on
socioeconomic pressure and the intersection with physical exposure. Compared to previous
estimations, the ILO(2020) has expected that the drop in working hours will be worse during this
pandemic. In previous studies also, it has been observed that vulnerable and peripheral groups in
the dual labor market would be affected more by pandemics (Cho & Lee, 2016).

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