Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can be considered as the Philippines' economic backbone. They make up 99.5% of business establishments in the country, provide 63% of employment to the Philippine workforce, and contribute about 40% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

As the number of people acquiring by COVID-19 continues to rise in the Philippines, the country’s economy plunged into a recession as GDP contracted by 16.5% for the second quarter of 2020 and increased in unemployment rate to 10%  as of July. 

As part of UNDP’s global effort to support countries in designing effective policy and program responses to recover from the crisis, UNDP Philippines launched a rapid response survey to capture the experiences, behavior, and perceptions of MSMEs as they cope, respond, and adapt to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, the survey was designed in three parts, to be deployed periodically. Results from the surveys aim to inform and guide the government and other development partners in designing interventions that respond to the specific needs of MSMEs in the country.