Leveraging Non-traditional Datasets for Assessing Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 across Philippine Households

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Philippine economy in unprecedented ways. The country suffered a 9.6 percent contraction of its GDP in 2020, the worst on record in the post-World War II period. With the second highest cases in Southeast Asia, the country continues to struggle to contain the disease and remains under various degrees of community quarantine. This policy brief examines the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic across Philippine households using non-traditional datasets, particularly market research data showing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) spending and mobility data. The paper observes differences in pandemic restrictions and recovery across different geographical areas in the country and in the pace of recovery across households belonging to different socioeconomic groups.