PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS OF THE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11494 (BAYANIHAN TO RECOVER AS ONE ACT) AS ECONOMIC RECOVERY STRATEGY FOR MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN LUCENA CITY

The study aimed to determine the perceived effectiveness of the RA11494 or the Bayanihan Recover as One Act as an economic recovery strategy for micro and small businesses in Lucena City. Specifically, it produced responses that answered the demographic profile of businesses in Lucena City, the programs implemented, the effects of the programs on the businesses and the local economy, the challenges faced during the implementation of these programs, and the overall perceived effectiveness as told by the participants. It employed a qualitative research design, which gathered interviews from six different individuals from varying industries that exist in Lucena City. Four local government employees and members of the local agencies were also interviewed to share their own insights about the law and the programs as well. The results show that the assistance given wasn't utilized for their specific purpose, especially if they were given via direct cash payment. Furthermore, the law and the programs were not familiar to the respondents, which may have been a result of the knowledge gap due to pandemic restrictions. The challenges that the programs needed to address is that their employees were at risk physically and mentally when dealing with beneficiaries. There were also delays in the disbursement of the assistance due to the backlogs and the transition from face-to-face and online transactions. Overall, the RA11494 as an economic recovery strategy is adequate given the circumstances when it was implemented.