Topic-to-Title Defense

[Audio] Good morning/afternoon! I would like to formally acknowledge the presence of the esteemed panelists for today's presentation, ___________, ___________, and _____________. [indicate their names] I am honored by your presence Ma'am and Sirs..

[Audio] I am CDR PATRICIO M KINTANAR and I am the former CO of Coast Guard Dental Station Western Visayas. I was also designated as ____________ [Please give a short background as to your former assignments/designations] As for my schoolings, I am a graduate of the Public Safety Officers Senior Executive Course and I also completed the Coast Guard Command and Staff Course as well as the IMO Model Course. With that, allow me to proceed to my presentation proper..

[Audio] My first topic is about the lived experiences of resilience and I am aware that this is relevant to some of the recommended research topics approved by the Course Director. I can say that this is directly linked to CG 1-04 which pertains to Health Service. This is also indirectly related to CG 3-04 which is about Performance Evaluation. I am aware that there are many resilience studies but one that considers this concept in the context of maritime duty and service commitment are very limited or almost hard to come by. In most instances, the emphasis is on the quantitative assessment of resilience and that is not what I am trying to figure out in this study that I am proposing. I would like to focus more on the lived experiences of resilience as this will shed light on the individual experiences of those in coast guard service. I would also like to mention that resilience has always been recognized as a key ingredient that enables individuals to cope with stress and pressures. Resiliency is often linked to adaptive functioning despite the presence of adversity. Though, there is also a consensus that resilience is a complex construct. I can also affirm that resiliency is about maintaining integrity and balance when facing a difficult situation. Resilient individuals could recover rapidly and take actions as needed. This suggests that resiliency is an important capability for those who are frequently facing risky and uncertain situations. In the Philippines, the public safety sector sphere is extensive and comprises numerous agencies and organizations with distinct but interrelated functions. Key actors are the AFP, the PNP, the BFP, and the Philippine Coast Guard, to name a few. Personnel of these organizations are exposed to demanding and dangerous situations, and yet they are also expected to exhibit professionalism at all times. In the case of the PCG, they are highly involved in maritime security and safety as guided by the specific powers and functions specified in Republic Act No. 9993 or the Philippine Coast Guard Law of 2009. Considering all these, this study recognizes that examining resilience is not a matter of simply quantifying it, but there is a necessity to understand this concept on a much deeper level, hence, the need to uncover the lived experiences of the PCG personnel..

[Audio] The problem is also evident and this became the basis for the crafting of the specific research questions. I would like to highlight that although there is an existing legal framework for mental health in the form of Republic Act No. 11036 or the Mental Health Act, there is sufficient evidence that implementation in the public safety sector is limited and/or unsustained, which could significantly impact the resiliency of organizational members. This is also despite the presence of numerous theories – Resilience Theory, Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, etc. – that could help in understanding resiliency and how this can be attained within organizations..

[Audio] Let us now move to the next slide. The general objective of this study is to examine the lived experiences of resiliency in order to come up with suitable recommendations, applicable to the situation of those who are in coast guard service. Specifically, the following questions were crafted: Number 1, What lived experiences of resilience are reported by Philippine Coast Guard personnel assigned to CGDWV in the performance of their maritime duties and in ensuring their service commitments? Number 2, What challenges affect the ability of the PCG personnel in CGDWV to cope with the demands of their professional responsibilities? And Number 3, What recommendations may be proposed to address the challenges experienced by Coast Guard personnel while uplifting their resiliency in the line of duty? All these research questions are expected to be answered after the data gathering phase..

[Audio] Now, we have here the objectives of the study. These are aligned to the research questions and these basically sum up what we would like to attain by having this study. The primary objective of the study is to explore the lived experiences of resilience among PCG personnel in CGD Western Visayas, considering the myriads of maritime challenges in this region. Specifically, this study aimed to: First, assess the lived experiences of resilience as reported by PCG personnel in CGDWV in the performance of their maritime duties and in ensuring their service commitments. Second, identify the challenges that affect the ability of the PCG personnel in CGDWV to cope with the demands of their professional responsibilities. And lastly, propose feasible recommendations that may help address the challenges experienced by the PCG personnel and strengthen their resiliency on the job..

[Audio] As for the Significance of the Study, I have provided the different groups, organizations, and individuals who will likely be benefited by the results. First, we have here the Philippine Coast Guard. The organization will be benefited by the study because results may serve as a reference or basis for future policies and programs directed towards the enhancement of the resiliency and coping mechanisms of its personnel. This may be utilized as the starting point for programs addressing well-being and mental health concerns. It is undeniable that the PCG personnel will also be benefited. They are one of the direct beneficiaries of the results of the study. Through the conduct of the data gathering activities, they will be able to reflect on their first-hand experiences of resilience. Once they go over the results of the study, they will have a better understanding of their shared experiences, the effective coping strategies that are practiced/applied by their colleagues, and how resilience could affect their commitment to the fulfillment of their job responsibilities. Other agencies and organizations within the public safety sector sphere, on the other hand, may consider the results of the study in order to have a more thorough understanding of the linkage between resilience, sense of duty, and service commitment. This may serve as an avenue for the provision of responsive and suitable programs, anchored on existing national laws and policies. It is also shown here that the general public or the masses will be indirectly benefited. Resilient PCG personnel are more likely to become effective on their jobs and this can be clearly seen on how they deal with the people they encounter while fulfilling their job responsibilities. Lastly, future researchers may utilize this study as the basis for a more extensive investigation on occupational and psychological well-being among those in high-stress professions..

[Audio] Allow me to also to briefly go over the scope and limitation of the study. The study will focus on the lived experiences of resilience among PCG personnel in CGDWV. It encompasses the personal experiences of resilience while they are performing their maritime duties, which in turn, could become a representation of their commitment to service. This study will uncover the operational challenges that these personnel face, their preferred coping strategies, and the factors that helped them remain resilient. As for the study limitations, this study will only include a limited number of participants due to the nature of the phenomenological (lived experiences) approach. This indicates that the findings may not be considered as a generalization of the experiences of the entirety of the coast guard personnel in this region. Data gathered will mostly reflect their experiences and their perception or personal biases may also be captured in the process..

[Audio] I now have here the brief description of how I plan to do this research. The phenomenological approach, which is a type of a qualitative research design, will be utilized in this study. This design is suitable for capturing lived experiences and perceptions of a small number of participants. The participants of the study will be the selected PCG personnel in Coast Guard District Western Visayas (including those from the CG Stations). There will be representation from each province (and 5 CG Stations) within this domain. Purposive sampling technique will be applied to identify personnel who can provide substantial insights in relation to the topic of this study. Ten (10) to twenty (20) participants, who are PCG personnel, are expected to take part in this study as key informants, leading to the assumption that there should be 2 to 4 representatives per province or CG station for the interview phase. Focus group discussions will also be conducted and this will examine the lived experiences of the non-officers. At least three (3) sessions will be conducted with 5 to 7 participants per session. Data will be gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. These will be supplemented by observations, ensuring the observance of triangulation. Thematic analysis will then be applied on the data gathered. This means that transcriptions will be prepared and the emerging themes will be identified. These will be interpreted to present the lived experiences of the participants in relation to resiliency. And now, I am ready to present my proposed title which is "LIVED EXPERIENCES OF RESILIENCE AMONG PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PERSONNEL ASSIGNED AT COAST GUARD DISTRICT WESTERN VISAYAS"..

[Audio] For my chosen adviser, I have here Captain Michell V Ursabia who is the current CO of the Coast Guard Dental Station Palawan. He had previous notable designations such as CO, CG Dental Station SM and General Services Office, O/CPCG. His field of specialization is oromaxillo facial surgery and he already completed his Master in Public Management degree, majoring in Development and Security, with specialization in maritime Safety and Security. That would be all for my first proposed topic and title. I will now proceed to my second Concept Paper..

[Audio] For my second concept paper, my topic is financial management efficiency and this is directly relevant to Research Topic CG 6-02 which pertains to financial management. This is also indirectly related to CG 4-03, which is Procurement Compliance Performance. I will now start with a short background of the study. I would like to mention that financial management is a key element of good governance and this is expected from public organizations. Government institutions are funded by the taxes collected from the citizens and there are mechanisms in place that are aimed towards the efficient utilization and allocation of financial resources. Funds are allocated on a variety of expense categories. There are large purchases and there are also expenditures that occur on a periodic basis. This suggests that there are major and minor expenses. Major expenses require careful planning and must be supported by pertinent supporting documents. However, minor expenses are much harder to manage due to the variety of expense categories. These expenses are crucial for the day-to-day operations of the organization. With this in mind, the petty cash system is often utilized in many organizations. This study will focus on the situation in Coast Guard District Western Visayas (PCGWV), with emphasis on the lived experiences of petty cash custodians. While there are internal policies guiding the disbursement of petty cash, there are also evident efficiency concerns. By examining the lived experiences of the petty cash custodians, concerns as to allocation, distribution, and utilization will be brought to the surface. This is worth studying considering that many studies focused more on accountability and auditing rather than the actual lived experiences of personnel..

[Audio] With that in mind, I was able to come up with the problem statement. Although there are existing policies governing the management of petty cash, there have been massive concerns as to the utilization of these funds, which ultimately affects the implementation and completion of the operational activities of PCGWV. The experiences of the petty cash custodians may vary considerably but they have the same goal – that is, to ensure efficiency in the releasing and utilization of funds. This area of concern remains underexplored as many studies focused more on the "effectiveness" side rather than on the "efficiency" side. Considering the recurring challenges and concerns of the petty cash custodians, I believe that this topic is worth pursuing..

[Audio] In line with the problem statement, I also came up with the specific research questions. First, What are the lived experiences of the petty cash custodians in Coast Guard District Western Visayas in relation to the efficient allocation, disbursement, and utilization of petty cash funds? Second, What challenges affect the efficiency of the petty cash custodians in managing and handling the petty cash fund? And lastly, What action plan can be proposed to improve efficiency and to support uniform petty cash management practices across Coast Guard Stations under the jurisdiction of CGDWV? The first and second question evaluates the present situation, with emphasis on actual experiences and the challenges they encountered. In order to come up with solutions, I also came up with the third research question..

[Audio] I now have here the objectives of the study which are aligned or connected to the research questions. First is to describe the lived experiences of petty cash custodians in performing their duties related to the allocation, disbursement, and utilization of petty cash funds in their area of responsibility. Second is to identify the challenges affecting the efficiency of the petty cash custodians in managing and handling the petty cash fund. And lastly, the study is expected to come up with a proposes action plan intended for the improvement of efficiency of the custodians and to support uniform petty cash management practices across Coast Guard Stations under the jurisdiction of CGDWV..

[Audio] I will now be going over the Significance of the Study. The study will provide insights as to petty cash management in an organization in the public safety sector. This will shed light on the perspectives of the individuals who are directly involved in handling and managing this fund. Specifically, this study will be beneficial to the organizations and individuals shown in this slide. The results of the study will enable the key officers of CGDWV to see the perspectives of the petty cash custodians. These officers are mostly involved in strategic planning and they are aware that in order to turn their programs into a reality and to complete the varied operational activities, funds must be readily available when needed. With this study, they will have a better understanding of the lived experiences of those handling the petty cash and such understanding will enable them to strengthen current accountability measures. As for the petty cash custodians, they will be directly benefited by the positive changes or improvements as to financial management. By considering the results of the study, they will realize that they are not the only ones facing the efficiency challenges when it comes to the management of petty cash funds. They might also learn more about the practices and strategies of other petty cash custodians. This will also enable oversight bodies in understanding the recurring challenges that are experienced by the petty cash custodians. The number of financial transactions that these personnel need to handle is quite many considering that they are dealing with the minor expenses of their respective offices. Lastly, future researchers may be benefited because this study may serve as the foundation for future studies that aim to capture lived experiences of individuals involved in financial activities. Similar studies may be conducted in other Coast Guard Districts..

[Audio] I will now be discussing the scope and limitation of the study. The study will focus on the lived experiences of specific organizational members – the petty cash custodians. This puts emphasis on the importance of efficient management of the allocated funds. The challenges associated with this will also be uncovered. This is based on the notion that fund allocation and utilization activities are much more complex than they appear to be. There are also evident limitations. The study will be limited to petty cash custodians in the chosen study locale. This limits the generalizability of the results of the study. Furthermore, results will rely on self-reported experiences and there are factors that could affect the narratives of these personnel including their reluctance to disclose specific challenges that they encounter, memory bias, and differences in perceptions..

[Audio] Moving forward, I have here the brief description of how I intend to conduct this study. The qualitative phenomenological research design will be employed in this study to have an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of petty cash custodians. Emphasis will be given on the efficient management of petty cash. The study participants will be the petty cash fund custodians (PCFC) of the Coast Guard Stations within Western Visayas. This is indicative of the use of purposive sampling technique. Participants will only be those who are in charge of the petty cash. This suggests that this is a targeted study and there is a need to gather rich insights from these carefully selected participants. Likewise, PCG senior officers in the same district who are involved in financial matters will also be interviewed. This denotes that there are two sets or categories of key informants. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted. This will be a one-on-one interview, which will allow the participant to freely share his or her experiences, the challenges that he or she encountered while performing financial management-related functions, and the practices that he/she employs in petty cash management. To supplement the data gathered, observations will be conducted. Transcriptions of the interviews will be prepared. These transcriptions will be the basis for analysis. Thematic analysis will be applied and this is reliant on the identification of recurring themes. And now, I have here my proposed title which is "LIVED EXPERIENCES OF PETTY CASH CUSTODIANS OF COAST GUARD DISTRICT WESTERN VISAYAS: A STUDY OF EFFICIENCY.".

[Audio] Once again, my chosen adviser, just like in my first concept paper, is Captain Michell V Ursabia of Coast Guard Dental Station Palawan..

[Audio] This is the end of my presentation. Good morning/afternoon once again Ma'am and Sirs..