Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

This study aims to enrich the understanding of the vulnerability challenge in the informal economy in Muntinlupa City to effect new policies to address the needs of this sector. The analysis includes the household dimension of the several forms of informality, revealing how informality is a socio-economic indicator of the government’s developmental project for sustainability which is more complex than the usual traditionally-advocated and short-lived livelihood programs for the city’s individual workers, families or groups. The study explores present understanding across patterns and forms of informality across and within the barangays that led to the understanding that the long-standing description of the informal sector is often not revealed as a more complex reality because of its rampant occurrence in urban areas. This study reveals how large, concerning and seemingly disconnected the priorities are in terms of their knowledge, understanding and information the informal sector has access to, as regards to programs to alleviate poverty and occupational risk combined with lack of access to social protection and risk management instrumentalities. This is affecting many informal economy workers especially the vulnerable groups and their families. The study also explores the commitment to the implementation of administrative functions to suggest priority areas and/or other policy makers to address the vulnerability in the informal economy. This study presented the need to protect the informal economy workers and explores the programs that are aligned to informality of labor. Challenges in the implementation and sustainability of identified programs to their transition to formality is presented.