This webinar is part of IPA's RECOVR Webinar Series: Bringing Evidence to COVID-19 Policy Responses in the Global South. Together with our partners, we are using this series to rapidly share what we are learning with the policy and research community to support evidence-informed response efforts. More information about other events in the series is available here.

Months into the pandemic, how has COVID-19 affected Filipino families, workers, and business owners? What industries have been especially affected by shutdowns? What are the concerns and anticipated challenges with distance learning? How does the pandemic affect people's income sources and how is the government providing support to address these financial challenges?

These types of questions have been at the forefront of decision-makers’ minds in the Philippines while charting their government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To respond to policymakers’ needs, IPA developed the RECOVR survey—a panel survey being deployed by IPA across nine countries. IPA collected information from households across the Philippines from June 18 - July 1 to inform response strategies across education, small-scale enterprise, and social protection.

This webinar shared findings from the first round of the RECOVR survey in the Philippines and covered how policymakers are using the results to continually adapt their responses to changing demands and to plan for long-term strategies. Nassreena Sampaco-Baddiri and Elliott Collins (IPA) presented on the RECOVR survey and IPA’s approach to equipping government partners with critical data for timely decision-making. Raquel Celeste (Department of Social Welfare and Development) discussed how the survey results are contributing to the Social Amelioration Program, an emergency subsidy program for low-income families, and Mariel Bayangos (Department of Education) highlighted strategies for the continuity of learning. Dr. Aniceto Orbeta (Philippine Institute for Development Studies) provided commentary on the survey’s findings on employment activity and implications for the labor force. Peter Srouji (IPA) introduced and moderated the webinar.

Watch the webinar recording below:
 

Panelists

• Raquel Celeste, Statistician III, Policy Development and Planning Bureau - Research & Evaluation Division, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines
• Mariel Bayangos, Division Chief, Planning Service - Policy Research and Development Division, Department of Education, Philippines
• Dr. Aniceto Orbeta, Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies
• Nassreena Sampaco-Baddiri, Country Director, IPA Philippines
• Elliott Collins, Director of Poverty Measurement, IPA
• Peter Srouji (Moderator), Senior Research Manager, IPA Philippines