30 March 2021
- RSIS
- Publication
- External Publications
- Cross-Border Trade in the Southern Philippines Amidst Covid-19
Cross-Border Trade in the Southern Philippines Amidst Covid-19
Beginning in March 2020, governments across the region introduced movement restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19. While health measures were implemented with the intention of protecting citizens, they have impacted local markets dependent on informal cross-border trade. This research, part of the X-Border Local Research Network project, forms a rapid assessment of the impact of Covid-19 movement and health protocols on informal cross-border trade in the Sulu archipelago. Its findings illustrate the precarity of the informal markets, and the ways in which local traders have been affected—and have adapted—to the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
Beginning in March 2020, governments across the region introduced movement restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of Covid-19. While health measures were implemented with the intention of protecting citizens, they have impacted local markets dependent on informal cross-border trade. This research, part of the X-Border Local Research Network project, forms a rapid assessment of the impact of Covid-19 movement and health protocols on informal cross-border trade in the Sulu archipelago. Its findings illustrate the precarity of the informal markets, and the ways in which local traders have been affected—and have adapted—to the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
