The availability of national firm level data particularly on micro enterprises in many developing
countries still remains limited up to this date. The Philippines is no exception, which in turn
limits the extent of empirical analysis on the economic contributions of micro, small and medium
scale enterprises. This paper presents a novel dataset of Philippine micro, small and medium
enterprises and the existing literature concerning the challenges and development issues of
MSMEs in the industrial and developing countries. Using a dataset on over 1,700 MSMEs
collected as part of the AIM Policy Center’s Enterprise Survey 2009, this paper discusses the
characteristics of these firms and their perceptions on government policies on improving the
business environment. This paper also draws on the wider literature on this topic in order to map
out key areas where further information and evidence on Philippine MSMEs could be useful in
informing more nuanced and possibly better-fitting policies.