Lumber Industries in CARAGA Region During the Post-Pandemic Era: A Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates how operators and managers navigated the uncertainties of the post-pandemic era, drawing from their lived experiences to understand patterns of resilience, adaptation, and hardship. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), twelve informants provided insights that exposed deeper realities within the industry. Findings revealed three core themes: a critical decline in wood supply largely due to shifts in farming practices; unstable supply-demand dynamics worsened by high labor and input costs; and minimal government intervention to support recovery efforts. Many owners reported being left to manage the burden alone, with no structured assistance from either national or local agencies. Others pointed to labor shortages and reduced profitability as compounding factors that further weakened operations. The study underscores how structural gaps in public administration and economic planning have left micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), specifically the lumber sector is vulnerable in crisis recovery. More than just outlining the challenges in the lumber industry, the study advances a resilience framework that emphasizes the importance of coordinated government support, financial literacy, sustainable resource strategies, and targeted livelihood programs. The experiences shared by the informants present a compelling case for policy reform and collaborative governance, especially in resource-based regions like Caraga. While the pandemic exposed the fragility of this sector, it also revealed an enduring determination among stakeholders to persevere. The lived experiences documented in this study offer lessons not just in survival but in the urgent need to build systems that support more resilient, adaptive, and inclusive local economies.