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1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The Internal Affairs Services (IAS), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-National Headquarters is one of the executive staff of the OFFICE OF THE CHIEF BFP which has exceptionally done its mandated tasks of helping the Chief, BFP in instituting reforms to improve the image of the BFP force through assessment, analysis and evaluation of the character and behavior of BFP personnel. The BFP IAS personnel were able to do their function by out rightly receiving cases pending through investigation of formal administrative charges against erring BFP high ranking officials and undertakes prosecution of cases that are formally charged before the BFP Hearing Office. Its other functions include evaluation and review of request for financial support or known as Class E' allotment, conducting investigation for medical reimbursement claims and also issuances of clearance to BFP personnel. IAS was not part of BFPs precursor under the Presidential Decree No. 765 dated January 1, 1975, the Fire Department was at the time integrated with the Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police (PC/INP) until it was organized as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) under R.A. No. 6975, the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act, enacted in 1990. The BFP is mandated to ensure public safety through the prevention and suppression of all kinds of destructive fires; enforce the Fire Code of the Philippines (PD 1185); investigate all causes of fires and file complaints with the

2 appropriate agencies; and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during national emergencies. The scope of BFPs mandate does not rest in ensuring the safety of the community but also in setting the standards to safety itself, a power which according to Myint (2000) is constantly equated to corruption not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the world. Violating building codes through the connivance of corrupt officials and building contractors has resulted in collapse of apartment buildings, department stores and hotels is common in a lot of countries. Paying bribes to deliberately observe proper fire prevention and safety regulations has caused supermarkets, hotels and discos, filled with shoppers and customers to go up in flames. With this in mind, IAS was tasked to support the Chief, BFP to ensure the departments integrity through the following capabilities: To conduct thorough and final investigation on matters related to personnel,

equipment, funds, facilities and the like; To conduct inspection on all units of the BFP related to performances, morals and

welfare, discipline and utilization of funds and equipment; To conduct investigation on vehicular accident involving fire trucks and other

accidents involving BFP personnel; To file administrative cases against erring BFP personnel with strict observance to

due process of law; To conduct intelligence coverage on reported anomalous activities involving BFP

personnel;

3 To prepare special projects that will enhance administrative efficiency and

operational readiness; To conduct background investigation in the accreditation of dealers/suppliers and

BFP applicants on any positions. As the internal auditing body of the BFP, IAS personnel are expected to be at their utmost competence in dealing with the cases they are hearing. The integrity of the BFP largely depends on how each of IAS personnel responds in the situation presented to them. The researcher firmly believes that one important factor that distinguishes BFP-IAS personnel is their concept and context to the idea of corruption in public governance. Self-perceptions are a persons own beliefs or predictions concerning their abilities and performance. This may be different from an individuals actual performance. Both selfperceptions and actual competence have traditionally been divided into four smaller categories. These include academic, social, emotional, and behavioral (self-) perceptions (Harter, 1982). The following review will discuss self-perception in terms of the academic category. Although all of the subcategories are important for providing a complete picture of self-perceptions, academic self-perceptions can be most directly related to the IAS personnel.

Rationale of the study

The BFP-IAS personnel address issues on corruption on a daily basis, with this study the researcher will be able to gage not only the departments perceived competence but also their concept and context on corruption in the public governance.

4 According to a World Bank study in 2008, corruption in the Philippines is considered to be the worst among East Asias leading economies and the country has sunk even lower among those seen to be lagging in governance reforms. The 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index published by global watchdog Transparency International, showed that the situation in the country had improved slightly but still remained serious. The Philippines ranked 139th among 180 countries included in the index, up from its previous 141st ranking in 2008. The nation scored 2.4 in the TI index, compared to 2.3 in 2008, which ranked it equal to Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Baltic state of Belarus. This result of the correlational study will be able to help the department in pinpointing areas of development to consider and probable actions in order to carry on their mandate more efficiently.

Statement of the problem

This study was conducted to provide answers to the following questions: 1. What is the current profile of the BFP Personnel assigned to IAS along the

following stratification? A. B. C. D. E. F. Age Gender Civil Status Highest Educational Attainment Number of years in the service Status of appointment

5 G. H. I. J. K. L. 2. Type of appointment Rank Position/Designation Salary grade Salary Grade for non-uniformed Year of Last Promotion?

What is the level of competence of the IAS BFP personnel based on their self-

assessment? 3. 4. How does the IAS BFP personnel understand corruption in public governance? Is there a relationship between (a) the perceived level of competence of the IAS

BFP personnel and (b) their concept and context of corruption in public governance?

Objectives of the study

This study aims to: 1. 2. Determine the current profile of the BFP Personnel assigned to ; Identify the level of competence of the IAS BFP personnel based on their self-

assessment; 3. 4. Assess the IAS BFP personnel understanding of corruption in public governance; Find out if there is a relationship between (a) the perceived level of competence of

the IAS BFP personnel and (b) their concept and context of corruption in public governance.

6 Significance of the study

The results of this study will be beneficial to the following: BFP. Results of this study will enable the Bureau to look into the problems faced by the BFP Personnel assigned to IAS NHQ and make appropriate actions to improve the service. Likewise, serve as basis for policy formulation. BFP Personnel. Results of this study will enable the BFP Personnel to be extra careful in handling functions at work and be aware of the charges that could be filed against them. Likewise, serve as a basis as to what type of complain to file against an erring BFP Personnel. IAS. This study will serve as a guide what to provide to its personnel for an effective and efficient delivery of services. Fire Chief. This will enable the Fire Chief to support and look into the needs of the BFP Personnel assigned to IAS specifically in the prompt processing of their CFC.

Scope and delimitation of the study

This study aims find out if there is a relationship between the perceived levels of competence of the BFP Personnel assigned to IAS National Headquarters and their concept and context of corruption in public governance. The respondents are the current working group of the department located in Agham Road Diliman, Quezon City with data gathered from two instruments between November 2012 and June 2013.

7 Facets of this study exist that could not be controlled as there are only 12 active personnel under the BFP IAS department aside from the researcher where he is assigned. There is also no precedence for studying the relationship between the perceived levels of competence and the concept and context of corruption in public governance.

8 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the review of related literature and studies relevant to the present study. The literature and studies cited served as a guide and basis in the conduct of this study. Related Literature

Firefighting is one of the worlds most honored but dangerous occupations (Hall & Adams, 1998). Saving lives, incident stabilization and property conservation summarizes the duty of every fire station. The job of a firefighter is not easy; it is a profession that exposes an individual to a hazardous situation. Firefighting requires a high sense of personal dedication, a genuine desire to help people and a high level of skill. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is mandated to carry out the firefighting job here in our country. The men and women behind this gallant organization are appreciated by some and belittle by others. As public safety employees, they are often times

confronted in an extraordinary situation where the public wants them to be extraordinary persons (Almaden,.2007). Firefighter training never ends (Hall & Adams, 1998). New ideas and equipment require new methods that must be learned. Unpredictable environments and new technology create challenges that never before existed. The creation of the Internal Affairs Services (IAS) of the Bureau of Fire Protection is an answer to the above-cited realities that call for new ideas and new methods to

9 improve the system. As an executive staff of the Office of the Chief, BFP to resolve cases pending through investigation of formal administrative charges against erring BFP Personnel at the same time prosecutes case with formal charge and which evaluates review of request for financial support and above all conducts investigation for medical reimbursement claims, it is but imperative to adopt new ideas, equipment and methods to be able to deliver effective and efficient services to its clientele. There are a lot of factors to be considered in measuring competencies of a worker/employee. The researcher believes that factors such as age, gender, civil status, educational attainment, number of years in the service, and status of appointment are some of the contributory factors that could affect performance of employees. Thus, the above enumerated factors were used in this study. Sison (1976), pointed out that an incompetent worker or employee who is inadvertently hired due to poor selection becomes a liability to the establishment. He is not only a direct loss to the company in terms of substandard performance and low productivity, but he is also a potential source of problems to management, his co-workers and customers. Sison has been cited in this study as it has direct bearing to the present study in that it also speaks of the cause of incompetence of a worker or employee. Although the present study has yet to determine the level of competency of BFP Personnel assigned to IAS in a particular task.. Sison (1991) stressed that there are two types of seniority. Straight and qualified seniority. Straight seniority determines employment references through length of service. Employees in this category are given priority in job opportunities such as promotion and transfer. They may also be retained in the service during .lay-off. However, in qualified

10 seniority, length of service is only one factor used in determining preference in the employment opportunities. Other factors considered are educational attainment, fitness for the job, training and experience in the type of job to be filled up. Qualified seniority gives merit and efficiency of the employee, and has greater weight than the plain seniority. Likewise, his study showed that senioritys role in the practice of basing the right of employment and job opportunities upon the employees relation to length of service in any organization is often used as basis for promotion, transfer, layoff, rehiring and other personnel actions. It is also the factor in boosting the morale of the employee. Franco (1991) in his book entitled, Training Center for Development Management and Productivity, emphasized training as learning to change the performance of people doing jobs. According to him it is deliberate and forceful not a hit-or-miss and is result oriented. Continuous training for individual helps in making better decisions and effective problem-solving, and aids in energizing and achieving self-development and selfconfidence. In fact, it has been noted that one of the responsibilities of any organization is to send employees to trainings, seminars more so to encourage them to pursue further studies to enhance the knowledge and skills of their workers in the organization to be able to apply in the work place new methods and techniques acquired during the course of their training, seminars and studies. Hence, come up with a productive, efficient and effective service. Martinez (1988) study revealed that the following institutional variables: workplace, work design, relationships between and among individuals and organizations groups, reward system, career development and continuing training, affect tremendously

11 the workers productivity, while individual goals constitute another relevant factor, especially from the management point of view. Gomez (1994) recommended in his study entitled, Policies and Practices in the Acquisition and Maintenance of Human Resources in Selected Educational Institutions in Metro Manila: an Assessment that schools should provide opportunities for their personnel to grow professionally. Likewise, trainings and seminars be undertaken to strengthen and maintain morale and efficiency of the workers. Anti-corruption efforts in the Philippines are largely diffused and uncoordinated. There are gaps and overlaps in anti-corruption policy development, enforcement and system improvement. There is also no performance tracking / accounting system to determine how far the country has come in achieving its anti-corruption goals and objectives. Although there are multi-sectoral anti-corruption efforts in the Philippines, the anti-corruption actors seem to pursue their own initiatives with little regard for the bigger national picture. The magnitude and seriousness of the problem of corruption in our country will need the methodical convergence not only of synchronized action from all stakeholders but also of resource sharing. Well-managed resource utilization will produce a multiplier effect in concerted anticorruption programs. With this point intact, it is vital for the BFP IAS personnel to understand the proper concept and context of what corruption is which will provide valuable cause in their progress against delivering their duties to remove it in the system.

12 According to Wikipedia, in philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement. Government, or 'political', corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for his or her own personal gain. With this being it deals with the commonplace use of the term corruption to mean dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power. While according to the World Bank, Corruption is a complex phenomenon. Its roots lie deep in bureaucratic and political institutions, and its effect on development varies with country conditions. But while costs may vary and systemic corruption may coexist with strong economic performance, experience suggests that corruption is bad for development. It leads governments to intervene where they need not, and it undermines their ability to enact and implement policies in areas in which government intervention is clearly neededwhether environmental regulation, health and safety regulation, social safety nets, macroeconomic stabilization, or contract enforcement. This chapter looks at the complex nature of corruption, its causes, and its effects on development. But perhaps, the most concise and precise way to put it is the Transparency Internationals definition, the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.' The researcher plans to use a specially formulated rubric in order to measure the BFP IAS personnels existing concept and context on what corruption is. By being able to define what something is then we can understand how to prevent it. That is not the same as suggesting that you ignore corruption. It is the opposite. Blandly labelling something as corruption is meaningless. For example, we can not cure cancer unless we know what type of cancer it is.

13

Traditionally, intellectual argument on ethics in Ireland has qualified as assuming that corrupt behaviour is wrong. We know that. The challenge is to diagnose it so we can cure it. In this paper, corruption is defined as the use of public office for private gain, or in other words, use of official position, rank or status by an office bearer for his own personal benefit. Following from this definition, examples of corrupt behavior would include: (a) bribery, (b) extortion, (c) fraud, (d) embezzlement, (e) nepotism, (f) cronyism, (g) appropriation of public assets and property for private use, and (h) influence peddling. In this list of corrupt behavior, an official can undertake activities such as fraud and embezzlement alone and without involvement of a second party. While others such as bribery, extortion and influence peddling involve two parties the giver and taker in a corrupt deal. The two party type of corruption can arise under a variety of circumstances. Often mentioned are concerned with the following: (i) Government contracts: bribes can influence who gets the contract, the terms of the contract, as well as terms of subcontracts when the project is implemented. (ii) Government benefits: bribes can influence the allocation of monetary benefits such as credit subsidies and favored prices and exchange rates where price controls and multiple exchange rates exist. Bribes can also be important in obtaining licenses and permits to engage in lucrative economic activities such as importing certain goods in high demand and in short supply. Moreover, bribes can be employed to acquire in-kind benefits such as

14 access to privileged schools, subsidized medical care, subsidized housing and real estate, and attractive ownership stakes in enterprises that are being privatized. (iii) Government revenue: bribes can be used to reduce the amount of taxes, fees, dues, custom duties, and electricity and other public utility charges collected from business firms and private individuals. (iv) Time savings and regulatory avoidance: bribes can speed up the granting of permission, licenses and permits to carry out activities that are perfectly legal. This is the so-called grease money to turn the wheels of bureaucracy more smoothly, speedily and hopefully in the right direction. It is also not difficult to think of a really awful situation where rules and regulations, and the way they are applied, are so complex and burdensome that the only way left to get things done is to pay money to avoid them. (v) Influencing outcomes of legal and regulatory processes: bribes can be used to provide incentives to regulatory authorities to refrain from taking action, and to look the other way, when private parties engage in activities that are in violation of existing laws, rules and regulations such as those relating to controlling pollution, preventing health hazards, or promoting public safety as in the case of building codes and traffic regulations. Similarly, bribes can be given to favor one party over another in court cases or in other legal and regulatory proceedings. Rules, regulations and their transparency and consistency The conduct of economic and business affairs, like engaging in a sporting event such as a football match, requires observance of certain rules of the game for activities to proceed in an orderly fashion. Rules and regulations are required to maintain a sense of fair play; to prevent disastrous conflicts; keep greed, predatory and other unsavory human instincts in

15 check; minimize socially undesirable consequences; and generally to ensure that players and referees abide by certain accepted standards of moral conduct and good behavior. Naturally, for rules to be properly observed, they must be transparent, that is, must be set out clearly and made known in advance to all concerned, so that they can be understood and obeyed by participants in the game. The game cannot proceed in an orderly way if players are uncertain about what constitutes a foul for which they will be penalized, or the referee is not sure when to blow the whistle. Aside from being clear, rules must also be applied in an impartial manner with respect to all players and must be consistent and not be subject to frequent and arbitrary changes. Obviously, the game will become unplayable and players will pack up and leave, if rules keep changing as the game proceeds and the referee keeps blowing his whistle whenever he feels like it. Working Definition The decisive role of the state is reflected in most definitions of corruption, which will define corruption as a particular (and, one could say, perverted) state-society relation. Corruption is conventionally understood, and referred to, as the private wealth-seeking behavior of someone who represents the state and the public authority. It is the misuse of public resources by public officials, for private gains. The encyclopedic and working definition used by the World Bank, Transparency International and others is that corruption is the abuse of public power for private benefit (or profit). Another widely used description is that corruption is a transaction between private and public sector actors through which collective goods are illegitimately converted into private-regarding payoffs (Heidenheimer et al. 1989:6).

16 This point is also emphasized by Rose-Ackerman, who says corruption exists at the interface of the public and private sectors (Rose-Ackerman 1978), and stressed by researchers who point to the Weberian distinction between public and private as the foundation of non-corrupt politics and administration (Mdard 1986, 1991). In Colin Nyes classical definition, corruption is behavior that deviates from the formal duties of a public role (elective or appointive) because of private-regarding (personal, close family, private clique) wealth or status gains (Nye 1967:416). An updated version with the same elements is the definition by Mushtaq Khan, who says corruption is behavior that deviates from the formal rules of conduct governing the actions of someone in a position of public authority because of private-regarding motives such as wealth, power, or status (Khan 1996:12). Samuel Huntington noted that where political opportunities are scarce, corruption occurs as people use wealth to buy power, and where economic opportunities are few, corruption occurs when political power is used to pursue wealth (Huntington 1968). By looking at the different kinds of resources transferred, a distinction has been made between corruption in economic terms and corruption in social terms. Economic corruption takes place in a market-like situation and entails an exchange of cash or material goods, which is basic to corruption. This is a strict definition of corruption, reflected in the regulations that stipulate limits to what amounts can be given before it is considered a bribe. Transfers are not only in cash or other tangibles, however, and the exchange takes place in a social setting with a number of cultural and moral meanings. Corruption understood in these broader terms has been called social exchange and social corruption. Social corruption is conventionally understood as an integrated element of clientelism.

17 Clientelism often implies an exchange of material benefits but cannot be reduced to this, because clientelism has a wider cultural and social implication. Clientelism, nepotism, ethnic and other favoritism are all variants of corruption, in social terms (Mdard 1998:308). Rent-seeking is sometimes used interchangeably with corruption, and there is a large area of overlap. But, while corruption involves the misuse of public power for private benefit, rent-seeking derives from the economic concept of rents, i.e. earnings in excess of all relevant costs, and equals what most people think of as monopoly profits. Rent-seeking, the effort to acquire rents, is not necessarily banned by law or regarded as immoral in society, or necessarily uneconomical in terms of development if reinvested productively, but it is largely directly unproductive, wasteful and very often economically inefficient (Coolidge and Rose-Ackerman 2000). Given a definition of corruption as a particular state-society relationship, the genesis of corruption is consequently found at the two fields of interaction between the state and the society beyond it, namely at the national and the international arena. Besides, it takes place within the state itself, between its various layers or levels. On the international arena, the globalization of markets, finances, and numerous other transactions have expanded the opportunity of collusive and concealed transactions, including between the various non-state players and the host governments and their representatives. Multinational companies are for instance buying concessions, preferences and monopolies; kickbacks are offered on tenders, including travels, computers and other fringe benefits for local officials sometimes eases through loans and contracts; and development projects.

18 Corrupt host countries are sometimes particularly attractive for certain businesses from abroad (Bayart et al. 1999). However, international actors (in business, politics and development co-operation) can be both possible corrupters and reform supporters (RoseAckerman 1999; Moody-Stuart 1997). Foreign-sponsored bribery tends to be held by many observers in developing countries as the most significant contributing factor to corruption. On the national arena, corruption takes place at the meeting point between the state and the various non-state actors. On the one side is the corrupt state official; on the other side is the corrupter, the supplier of bribes. The officials can be anyone from the president and top political leadership (political corruption) down through the hierarchy (bureaucratic corruption) to the most remote local government public servant. The many possible nonstate counterparts include the general public, any non-governmental and non-public individual, corporate and organizational. Many theories and conceptualizations of corruption will call attention to the corrupters, those who offer the bribes in the first place, and the advantages they gain. Other theories will emphasize the corrupted and their advantages. On the national institutional arena, i.e. within the various levels and agencies of the state, corruption can take place between the different branches of government (like the executive, legislative and judicial branches), and between the political an

administrative/bureaucratic institutions (the civil service, local authorities and parastatals). These relationships can be corrupted because of overlapping and conflicting authority, political power-struggles over access to scarce resources, manipulated flows of information, and personal relationships of dependence and loyalty. In particular, a weak separation between civil service and party politics, a weak professionalization of the

19 bureaucracy, a lack of administrative accountability and transparency, and deficient political control and auditing mechanisms will increase corruption at these junctures. The more discretion officials have through abundant, complex and non-transparent regulations, the more corruption becomes likely. Corruption, however, also exists within and between private businesses and within nongovernmental organizations, without any state agency or state official being involved. There is corruption in terms of bribing, swindling and mafia-methods in businesses, and there are disloyal employees in private firms, non-governmental organizations and associations. Besides, corruption also exists as a moral and cultural problem in society, among individuals in their personal dealings. Accepted and expected practices of giftgiving, tipping and patronage exist in most societies, even when such habits may be illegal. Generally, such practices impose hidden costs on public services and/or confuse the distinction between public and private. The level of private corruption can indeed be symptomatic for the general economic and political development of a society. Besides, all forms of private corruption can be destructive to the public morale and undermine the general trust and confidence in rules and regulations. However, most definitions of corruption will emphasize corruption as a state-society relationship because public sector corruption is believed to be a more fundamental problem than private sector corruption, and because controlling public sector corruption is a prerequisite for controlling private sector corruption. Forms of corruption A recent study has characterized some main forms or manifestations of corruption, according to a number of basic characteristics (Amundsen 1999). The main forms

20 considered are bribery, embezzlement, fraud and extortion. Even when these concepts are partly overlapping and at times interchangeable with other concepts, they may identify some basic varieties of corruption. Bribery is the payment (in money or kind) that is given or taken in a corrupt relationship. To pay or receive a bribe is corruption per se, and should be understood as the essence of corruption. A bribe is a fixed sum, a certain percentage of a contract, or any other favor in money of kind, usually paid to a state official that can make contracts on behalf of the state or otherwise distribute benefits to companies or individuals, businessmen and clients. There are many equivalent terms to bribery, like kickbacks, gratuities, commercial arrangements, baksheesh, sweeteners, pay-offs, speed- and grease money, which are all notions of corruption in terms of the money or favors paid to employees in private enterprises, public officials, and politicians. These are payments or returns needed or demanded to make things pass swifter, smoother or more favorably through the state or government bureaucracies. By greasing palms corporations and business interests can for instance buy political favors and escape the full burden of taxation and environmental regulations, they can buy protected markets and monopolies, import/export licenses and quotas, and get access to large state contracts on capital goods, on-going supplies, major civil engineering projects, construction works, and so on. Embezzlement is theft of resources by people who are put to administer it; it is when disloyal employees steal from their employers. This is a serious offence when public officials are misappropriating public resources, when state official steals from the public institution in which he or she is employed and from resources he is supposed to administer on behalf of the public.

21 Embezzlement is not considered as corruption from a strict legal point of view, but is included in the broader definitions. In legal terms, corruption is a transaction between two individuals, one state agent and one civilian, where the state agent goes beyond the limits of the law and regulations in order to secure himself a personal benefit in the form of a bribe. Embezzlement is regarded as theft because it does not involve the civilian side directly. The general public is deprived when public funds are embezzled, but no individual property is stolen and individual citizens are bereft of legal rights to present themselves as forfeited. This points to one of the dangers of embezzlement. There will have to be a political will as well as an independent judiciary and a legal capacity to clamp down on embezzlement. Embezzlement is a form of corruption and power abuse that can develop in closed institutional and moral spheres, independently of the public moral and with few possibilities of public sanction. In many thoroughly corrupt countries, embezzlement is a fundamental part of the resource extractive capacity of a ruling elite, even more important than extraction through bribes. Straddling, the process by which some power-holders systematically use their political office to enter into, secure and expand their private business interests, should be regarded as another form of embezzlement. In some countries the political elite has nationalized foreign businesses, property and monopoly rights, and redistributed these to the members of the ruling families. Fraud is an economic crime that involves some kind of trickery, swindle or deceit. Fraud involves a manipulation or distortion of information, facts and expertise, by public officials positioned between politicians and citizens, who seeks to draw a private profit.

22 Fraud is when a public official (agent), who is responsible for carrying out the orders or tasks assigned by his superiors (principal), manipulates the flow of information to his private profit; hence the widely used principal-agent or incentive theory employed by economists to study this phenomenon (Eskeland and Thiele 1999; Fjeldstad 1999). Fraud is also a broader legal and popular term that covers more than bribery and embezzlement. It is fraud for instance when state agencies and state representatives are engaged in illegal trade networks, counterfeit and racketing, and when forgery, smuggling and other organized economic crime is propped up by official sanction and/or involvement. It is fraud when politicians and state agents take a share for closing their eyes on economic crimes, and it is serious fraud when they have an active role in it. Extortion is money and other resources extracted by the use of coercion, violence or the threats to use force. Blackmailing and extortion are corrupt transactions where money is violently extracted by those who have the power to do it, but where very little is returned to the clients (perhaps only some vague promises of exception from further harassment). Protection or security money can be extorted in the classical, well-known mafia style, where organized criminals use insecurity, harassment and intimidation to extort money from individual citizens, private businesses and public officials. Corruption in the form of extortion is usually understood as a form of extraction from below, by mafias and criminals. Corrupt practices of this kind can, however, also be from above, when the state itself is the biggest mafia of them all. This is for instance when the state, and in particular its security services and paramilitary groups, extorts money from individuals, groups and businesses. With more or less concealed threats, taxes, fees and other resources are

23 extracted from travellers, market vendors, transporters and other private sector businesses. Furthermore, various state officials may extract under the table fees and gifts from individual citizens as they approach the state as clients, customers, patients, school children etc. These practices may be interpreted as informal forms taxation. Favoritism is a mechanism of power abuse implying privatization and a highly biased distribution of state resources, no matter how these resources have been accumulated in the first place. Favoritism is the natural human proclivity to favor friends, family and anybody close and trusted. Favoritism is closely related to corruption insofar as it implies a corrupted (undemocratic, privatized) distribution of resources. In other words, this is the other side of the coin where corruption is the accumulation of resources. Favoritism is the penchant of state officials and politicians, who have access to state resources and the power to decide upon the distribution of these, to give preferential treatment to certain people. Clientelist favoritism is the rather everyday proclivity o most people to favor his own kin (family, clan, tribe, ethnic, religious or regional group). Favoritism or cronyism is for instance to grant an office to a friend or a relative, regardless of merit. Favoritism is a basic political mechanism in many authoritarian and semi-democratic countries. In most non-democratic systems, the president has for instance the constitutional right to appoint all high-ranking positions, a legal or customary right that exceedingly extends the possibilities for favoritism. It easily adds up to several hundred positions within the ministries, the military and security apparatus, in the parastatal and public companies, in the diplomatic corps and in the ruling party.

24 Nepotism is a special form of favoritism, in which an office holder (ruler) prefers his proper kinfolk and family members (wife, brothers and sisters, children, nephews, cousins, in-laws etc.). Many unrestricted presidents have tried to secure their (precarious) power position by nominating family members to key political, economic and military/security positions in the state apparatus.

Related Studies

Power breeds competence, not corruption, according to a new study in the May issue of Psychological Science. The study, a collaboration between U.S. and Dutch researchers, finds that if people feel powerful in their roles, they may be less likely to make on-the-job errors like administering the wrong medication to a patient. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the study suggests that people at the bottom of the workplace totem pole don't end up there for lack of ability, but rather that being low and powerless in a hierarchy leads to more mistakes. It's a finding that surprised even the study's authors. "I'll be totally honest. When we started this research," says Adam Galinsky, a co-author and a social psychology professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, "we first had the hypothesis that maybe power might impair [cognitive] functioning." Talania (1999), in his study showed that matured personnel whose age range from 41-56 and above were presumed to perform their duties accordingly as indicated in rule X I of their Manual of Operations of the BJMP. In terms of gender, his findings revealed that disciplinary services are predominantly assigned to males and that he attributed this to the

25 fact that investigating and hearing administrative cases is a tedious task which maybe considered more appropriate for male personnel. Another possible reason is that during the period covered by the study, the number of female personnel in the Bureau was very much smaller than that of the male, so that the males dominate in all the units or divisions of the Bureau. Another factor pointed out by Talania (1999), is the civil status. His findings revealed that married persons are usually matured, established and experienced that they are able to grasp and relate to the situations more closely and better understand the reasons and factors that lead to the commission of these administrative offense. His findings likewise showed that majority of the respondents have training in the law profession being graduates in Law. As college graduates with legal training they are qualified to be members of the disciplinary machinery. Their knowledge of law on

account of their educational background, that they are in a better position to investigate, hear and decide on administrative cases, since they are able to interpret the rules and regulations of the BJMP and the Civil Service, as well as the laws of the country. In terms of trainings and seminars, the study reflected that majority of the respondents have adequate orientation and training in relation to their job. Hence, they were in better position to perform their task more effectively and efficiently than those without related training. Still another factor on eligibility implied that there is security in their job on account of their eligibility and therefore are permanent/regular employees of BJMP. Talania (1999), further revealed that majority of the respondents encountered the following problems: inadequate trained personnel, inadequate office supplies and equipment and mobility problem.

26 Researchers employed several different tests of executive function, the best-known among them being the Stroop test, a measure of cognitive attention developed in the 1930s: participants are shown color words, such as "red," "blue" or "yellow," printed in colors that are different from the color that the word actually names. So, the word "blue" might be written in green lettering, "red" would appear in blue, and so forth. The participant's goal is to name the color of the font he or she sees an exercise of mental effort, called "directed attention," that requires people to override the immediate and automatic urge to simply read the word.

Galinsky expected that the empowered participants would be distracted by their own highpowered perch and would behave more impulsively, leading to more errors in recognizing the color of the font. Rather, he found the opposite was true. The students who were primed to feel devoid of power actually performed significantly worse than the powerful group perhaps because the former group felt, as the study concludes, "guided by situational constraints... rather than by their own goals and values." In other words, lowpower participants did not, in a way, feel in control of their own ability to complete tasks, feeling instead that they were "the means for other people's goals." The approach presented in this paper is essentially holistic. Corruption is viewed as a systemic issue requiring the donors to work on several fronts and collaboration among the branches of government and many parts of society. The approach to promote good governance through among other things, prevention, is to help client countries curb corruption and build integrity, and therefore, improve their public services and create an enabling environment for the private sector. The Governance and Anti-Corruption program

27 comprises three principal activity areas: (a) improving public sector service delivery by focusing on public sector accountability and legal reform in order to re-introduce rule of law; (b) building integrity by promoting governmental accountability and transparency; and (c) building a prevention and anti-corruption capacity of the public sectorand of civil society, particularly by strengthening non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media. The program dovetails with other reforms such as: Public Sector Management program, which focuses on prevention through civil-service reform and public-expenditure planning and management, as well as, on supporting governance activities, research and dissemination of findings. Legislative reforms to strengthen the government role in overseeing the executive but also the passing of new anti-corruption legislation Legal reforms; that strengthen the rule of law Building integrity, which means using public powers for the public good, is the flip side of fighting corruption. Experience gained from work with client countries demonstrates that it is preferable to focus on prevention through the building of integrity, which suggests a positive, pro-active preventive approach. It is often easier to get various stakeholder groups to support preventive measures through the creation of a system of national integrity rather than specific measures designed to fight corruption.

28 CHAPTER III RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

Conceptual Framework

This review found that few studies examine or establish a direct relationship between the perceived level of competency and the level of understanding in the concept and context of corruption in public governance. Self-Perceived Competence or the lack of, by itself, does not produce a thorough understanding of the concept and context of corruption. Rather, corruption has direct consequences on a personnels performance, intermediaries that in turn produce incompetency. Thus, the relationship examined by researchers is an indirect one. Two models emerge from the research literature. The correlational model postulates that self-perceived competence affects the judgment of the BFP IAS personnel by first impacting their comprehension, which, in turn, impact their concept and context on what corruption is. In other words, decreased self-perceived competence reduces

comprehension, distorts job function, hinders good judgment, creates inefficiencies and bends the idea of what corruption is. Within Self-Determination Theory, competence is assumed to be one of three fundamental psychological needs, so the feelings or perceptions of competence with respect to an activity or domain is theorized to be important both because it facilitates peoples goal attainment and also provides them with a sense of need satisfaction from engaging in an activity at which they feel effective. Thus, perceived competence has been assessed in

29 various studies and used, along with perceived autonomy (i.e., an autonomous regulatory style) to predict maintained behavior change, effective performance, and internalization of ambient values. This study is anchored on the Psychomotor Skills Theory. According to this theory, this results from organized muscle activity in response to stimuli from the environment. The sensory and motor cortex of the brain, as well as the new fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain controls psychomotor skills. A skill is not a reflex action. A skill is a complex movement that requires practice. To acquire psychomotor learning we usually develop the skills quite quickly during reinforced practice. Studies have shown that we retain psychomotor skills longer that we retain learned text material, because we tend to over learn these skills. Environmental factors such as heat/cold, amount of oxygen, and noise have been shown to interfere with the acquisition and performance of psychomotor skills. The term skill also refers to the level of proficiency at which someone can perform a certain task. For example, sports are often complex tasks, requiring

coordination, speed,a nd endurance. These motor skills are essential for a player to be considered skilled, but performance will always be limited by our basic abilities. Skill performance is analyzed using several criteria at fixed intervals. First, the performer must be alert and attentive enough to realize that sensory information is being transmitted. At the sensory cue, the performer must be able to decide whether or not to respond and with what type of response. Performance is based upon past experience in

similar activities, speed, the amount of force exerted, and the persons basic ability.

30 The three major factors that affect the acquisition of psychomotor skills are feedback, motivation and the amount of practice undertaken. The more specific the

feedback received, the faster the skill is acquired. Motivation serves to encourage skill acquisition, often speeding up the process. Practice may be the most powerful factor, but the effect of the amount and intensity of practice is unique to each person. The complexity and distribution of the skill may also contribute to its acquisition. The more complex a skill, the more difficult it is to learn, and therefore the longer it will take. Distribution of work and rest also affects the acquisition of a skill, especially if the person is overworked or is not receiving sufficient rest. Hence, the said office likewise deals with psychomotor skills as described in the following paragraph: The Internal Affairs Services of the Bureau of Fire Protection was created to instill discipline among BFP Personnel. The Staff assigned to this agency has the following functions: investigates admin complaints and gather evidence in support of an open investigation; submits periodic report on admin cases (i.e. the assessment to OPLAN PAGBABAGO) and provides pertinent documents to the OMBUDSMAN and/or Civil Service Commission as appropriate; Issues summons or memo to concerned parties and conducts conciliation and mediation pertaining to financial support for class E; investigates where incidents that involved alleged violation of rules and engagement have been violated; conducts background investigation on business establishments for accreditation of suppliers/dealers of BFP (to check legality against the procurement law) ; prosecution of admin cases before the hearing office, and issues IAS clearance as regards to promotion of BFP Personnel or assignment of BFP Personnel to any key position and for loan purposes.

31 The above-enumerated functions will give readers background information as to how this particular agency operates and how important its functions are to the BFP Personnel. The Researcher firmly believes that identifying competencies of the BFP

Personnel assigned to IAS coupled with their profile will paved a way for an improved delivery of services of the said agency. Moreover, the researcher likewise intends to come up with a proposed measure to ensure an effective and efficient delivery of services of the IAS. Effectiveness of institutions in dealing with corruption has been assessed through three principle means. One of the means used is the registered cases, cases filed with the courts and cases owned by BFP IAS against the suspected offenders. While examining the cases registered and forwarded for punishment to the courts, two especial factors have been considered. First, especial care has been given to find-out whether or not suspected politicians and high officials have been included in the investigation net. Secondly, it has also been thoroughly examined that whether or not high corruption prone sectors as reported by Transparency International and other perception surveys have come to the anticorruption net. Through a perception survey, opinion of various groups as regards to different aspects of corruption was collected and compiled.

32

Profile of the IAS BFP

IAS BFP

Age Gender Civil Status Educational Qualification No. of years in the service Status of Appointment Rank Position Salary Year of last promotion

Level of Competence of the IAS BFP Conducting investigation related to: personnel, equipment, funds, facilities Conducting Inspection on all units of the IAS-BFP related to: performance, morale, welfare, discipline ,utilization of funds Conducting investigation on vehicular accidents involving fire trucks and BFP Personnel Conducting intelligence coverage on reported anomalous activities involving BFP Personnel Preparing special project to enhance administrative and operational procedures and

Ideal Concept and Context of Corruption in Public Governanc e

Improve d Services of the BFP IAS

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the study showing the profile, level of competence, and concept and context of Corruption in Public Governance among the IAS BFP Personnel

33

Operational Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined for easy understanding of the study: Accreditor. - one who establishes firms who are applying for accreditation whether or not it possesses the legal qualification to be a supplier of the BFP. Likewise, conducts ocular inspection of the firms office warehouse and stockrooms to determine its physical existence and capacity. Assessment - as used in this study is the process of evaluating and appraising the level of competency of BFP Personnel assigned to IAS. Bureau of Fire Protection a Bureau who takes charge of saving lives and property. IAS, BFP-NHQ is one of the executive staff of the OFFICE OF THE CHIEF, BFP to resolve cases pending through investigation of formal administrative charges against erring BFP Personnel and undertakes as the prosecuting case with formal charged before the BFP Hearing Office. Its other functions include evaluation/review of request for financial support or known as Class E allotment, conducting investigation for medical reimbursement claims and also issuances of clearance to BFP Personnel. IAS BFP Personnel active BFP Personnel assigned at the Office of the Internal Affairs Service. Investigator one who receives complaints filed against BFP Personnel (Uniformed and Non-Uniformed) and conducts investigation either emanating or indorsed by DILG, CSC, and Ombudsman.

34 Self-perceptions a persons own beliefs or predictions concerning their abilities and performance. This may be different from an individuals actual performance. Both selfperceptions and actual competence have traditionally been divided into four smaller categories. These include academic, social, emotional, and behavioral (self-) perception. Correlation is computed into what is known as the correlation coefficient, which ranges between -1 and +1. Perfect positive correlation (a correlation co-efficient of +1) implies that as one security moves, either up or down, the other security will move in lockstep, in the same direction. Alternatively, perfect negative correlation means that if one security moves in either direction the security that is perfectly negatively correlated will move in the opposite direction. If the correlation is 0, the movements of the securities are said to have no correlation; they are completely random. In real life, perfectly correlated securities are rare, rather you will find securities with some degree of correlation.

Research Hypothesis

There have been no studies yet with regards to the correlation of the two variables presented in the study as it is a new concept, the results from this will produce data that will potentially support one of the following hypotheses: H1A: There is a significant correlation between the perceived level of competency among BFP-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in public governance H1O: here is no significant correlation between the perceived level of competency among BFP-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in public governance

35 CHAPTER IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research design

The study was implemented in a management approach focusing on the correlational analysis of two traits characterized through the self-perceived competence of the BFA-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in the public governance. Therefore evaluating their self-worth and understanding of the nature of their mandate. Locals of the Study The subjects of the research were the BFP personnel assigned to IAS NHQ. Total

enumeration was used in this study, as there were only fifteen (15) personnel from BFP who were assigned to IAS NHQ. Each of the IAS BFP were given survey questionnaires which were prepared by the researcher. The Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Fire Protection National Headquarters issued a memorandum to the Office of the Fire Chief with the subject, Roster of Personnel of Internal Affairs Services (IAS) last March 1, 2012. The letter contained the list of active BFP Personnel assigned at the Office of the Internal Affairs Service, BFP-National Headquarters as the basis for the processing of their CFC the period March 1 15, 2012. The letter specified that there were a total of fifteen (15) personnel who are categorized as active personnel and two (2) as detached service PACC-DILG. The BFP IAS office is located at Agham Rd., Diliman, Quezon City.

36

BFP-IAS Office

Data Collection Methods

The needed information of this study were obtained in two parts, first is from the questionnaire that were distributed to the respondents and retrieved at once from the respondents as the said respondents were just assigned in the Office where the researcher is also assigned. Hence, after answering the questions, the respondents immediately handed in the questionnaires to the researcher who personally administered the questionnaires. The second part, was based on the recorded and transcribed interview where the respondents were asked to give a brief description on what is corruption in public governance and is

37 given appropriate grade based on the rubrics on the working definition of corruption in the related review of literature and studies.

Sampling Plan

The researcher managed to take the entire populace in order to get the real figures without applicable biases on his part as a member of the BFP IAS personnel. Data Gathering Instruments The research instrument was a modified questionnaire in terms of the demographic variables and the level of competencies of the IAS-BFP. The checklist contained questions that sought inquiries on the personnels profile and self perceived competency level. To measure these competencies, answers of respondents were based on a 5 point Likert scale. As for the context and concept of corruption, the researcher made use of a qualitative interview measured through a rubric form. The rubrics guide came from the literature and studies review presenting the working definition of corruption in public governance.

38 Method of Data Analysis

He study will make use of simple mode, modal, and mean testing in realizing its objective other than the Spearmans Rho Correlation Regression expressed as:

One final resource was utilized to conduct this analysis, and this involved the input of experts opinions. The researcher asked the external service of a statistician and proofreader to better analyze the study in identifying correlations between through the selfperceived competence of the BFA-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in the public governance. The expert was used due to the lack of research into these relationships. The correlations were analyzed using the Pearson or product-moment correlation. The study also includes a variation on this type called partial correlation. The latter is useful when you want to look at the relationship between two variables while removing the effect of one or two other variables. The main result of a correlation is called the correlation coefficient (or "r"). It ranges from -1.0 to +1.0. The closer r is to +1 or -1, the more closely the two variables are related. If r is close to 0, it means there is no relationship between the variables. If r is positive, it means that as one variable gets larger the other gets larger. If r is negative it means that as one gets larger, the other gets smaller (often called an "inverse" correlation). While correlation coefficients are normally reported as r = (a value between -1 and +1), squaring them makes then easier to understand. The square of the coefficient (or r square)

39 is equal to the percent of the variation in one variable that is related to the variation in the other. After squaring r, ignore the decimal point. An r of .5 means 25% of the variation is related (.5 squared =.25). An r value of .7 means 49% of the variance is related (.7 squared = .49). Meanwhile, the researcher used weighted mean in the Likert scale, which was used in identifying problems encountered by the BFP IAS Personnel a list of identified problems were enumerated for the respondents to select/choose which will evaluate the current profile of the BFP IAS Personnel used in the study.

40 CHAPTER V RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents the analysis and the interpretation of the data gathered and their implications thereof.

Profile of the Respondents Age. Table 1 below shows that 92% of the employees are between 30 to 39 years old. Thus, almost all employees of BFP are still young compare to any other government agencies. In other words, young employees are more likely competent and more capable in handling the task involving hard tasks as they are physically fit to handle functions outside the office specifically in handling investigative matters which is a bit risky. Table 1 Age of the respondents. 21 29 30 39 40 49 50 55 56 and above Total Frequency 0 11 1 0 0 12 Percentage 0.0 91.7 8.3 0.0 0.0 100.0

Gender. Table 2 shows the gender of the employees. Table below only shows that gender is not equally distributed in the office of BFP. There are about 58% female employees and about 42% male employees. This implies that female employees

are the ones fit for office work as compared with the male employees. This can be attributed to the type of work and the risk that will be faced by females if they will be the one exposed outside office.

41 Table 2 Gender of the respondents. Male Female Total Frequency 5 7 12 Percentage 41.7 58.3 100.0

Civil Status. Table 3 shows the civil status of the employees. Table shows that half of the employees are already married. In addition about 42% of the total employees are still single and about 8% is separated from his/her wife/husband. Table 3 Civil Status of the Respondents. Single Married Widow/er Separated Total Frequency 5 6 0 1 12 Percentage 41.7 50.0 0.0 8.3 100.0

Educational Attainment. Table 4 showed the highest educational attainment of the employees. The table shows that 10 out of 12 employees are college graduate. While, one employee has units in the Masters degree and the other is a post graduate. It only implies that employees should further study since most of them are still college graduate given that degree in the post graduate is required in the promotions. Hence, most of them can be considered not competent still in this aspect and that their knowledge in handling cases related to BFP-IAS is still limited as reflected in the result of the educational attainment obtained by most of the personnel of the said office..

42 Table 4 Highest educational attainment of the respondents. HS Undergraduate HS Graduate College Undergraduate College Graduate With Units in the Masteral Degree Post Graduate Total Frequency 0 0 0 10 1 1 12 Percentage 0.0 0.0 0.0 83.3 8.3 8.3 100.0

Number of Years in the Service. Table 5 below shows the employees number of years in service. Table 5 shows that half of the total employees were employed 6 to 10 years ago while the 42% were employed 11 to 15 years ago. The longest possible number of years in service of an employee is only 15 years. Possibly, employees retire when they reach 20 years in service as soon as they receive retirement benefits. It can be implied that their competence in handling the functions in the BFP IAS can already be considered that competent enough as most of them had already gained experience in handling the services of the IAS as well as in performing the corresponding functions assigned to them.

Table 5 Number of Years in the Service 5 years and below 6 10 years 11 15 years 16 20 years 21 25 years 26 years and above Total Frequency 1 6 5 0 0 0 12 Percentage 8.3 50.0 41.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

Status of Appointment. Table 6 shows the status of appointment of the employees. It shows that all employees are already permanent. Thus, it can be implied

43 that masters degree is not a requirement for permanency. Moreover, this cannot be

considered determinant in terms of competency as new employees are at once given permanent status. Table 6 Status of Appointment of the Respondents. Frequency 12 0 12 Percentage 100.0 0.0 100.0

Permanent Temporary Total

Appointment of the Employee. Table 7 shows the type of appointment of the employees. It showed that all employees are categorized as having the uniformed type of appointment. Table 7 Type of Appointment of the Respondents. Uniformed Non-uniformed Total Frequency 12 0 12 Percentage 100.0 0.0 100.0

Rank of the Employee. Table 8 shows the rank of the employees. It shows that 75% of the total employees have rank from FO1 to FO3, 17% have rank from SFO1 to SFO4, and the 8% have rank Insp Sr Insp. The employee mentioned in table 4 who is a post graduate has a rank Insp Sr Insp. This can be implied that the higher the educational attainment the higher the rank will be. Hence, this could served as motivation for the BFPIAS personnel to pursue post graduate studies as it is for their own advantage to help them achieve a higher rank or position.

44 Table 8 Rank of the Employees Frequency 9 2 1 0 0 12 Percentage 75.0 16.7 8.3 0.0 0.0 100.0

FO1 FO3 SFO1 SFO4 Insp Sr Insp C Insp-Supt Sr. Supt Total

Table 9 shows the salary grade of the employees. It shows that about 67% of the total employees have salary grade between 14 to 16 while one employee has salary grade above 20. This implies that most of the employees of IAS-BFP belonged to the lower rank and therefore has to take further studies and training to be able to be promoted a higher rank. Table 9 Salary Grade of the Respondents. Below 10 11 -13 14 -16 17 19 20 and above Total Frequency 0 1 8 2 1 12 Percentage 0.0 8.3 66.7 16.7 8.3 100.0

Year of last Promotion of the Employees. Table 10 shows the year of the last promotion of the employees. The table showed that 75% of the total employees were promoted last 2010. Furthermore, three employees were promoted last 1999, 2008, and 2009. It can be implied that BFP-IAS should be vigilant in submitting their papers for promotion and likewise upgrade their educational qualification, seminars and training to avail of the promotion granted by the Office almost every year.

45 Table 10 Year of last Promotion of the Employees 1999 2008 2009 2010 Total Frequency 1 1 1 9 12 Percentage 8.3 8.3 8.3 75.0 100.0

Level of competence of the employees Table 11 shows the level of competence of the employees in conducting thorough investigation on matters related to personnel, equipments, fund, and facilities. The result in the table shows that employees have high level of competence in conducting thorough investigation on matters related to personnel. Thus, given this result employees are already equipped in investigating matters related to personnel. However, employees have moderate level of competence in conducting thorough investigation related to equipments, funds, and facilities. Thus, the office should conduct such activity or seminar to further enhance the competence of the employees along the area on investigation. Table 11 Level of competence of the respondents in conducting thorough investigation on matters related to the following: Personnel Equipments Funds Facilities Overall mean Mean 4.45 3.55 3.64 3.36 3.75 Interpretation High level of competency Moderate level of competency Moderate level of competency Moderate level of competency High level of competency

Table 12 shows the level of competence of the employees in conducting inspection on all units of the BFP related to their performance, morale, welfare, discipline, and

46 utilization of funds. The result in the table shows that employees have high level of competence in conducting inspection on all units of the BFP related to their performance, morale, welfare and discipline. Thus, given this result employees are already equipped on these matters. However, employees have moderate level of competence in conducting inspection on all units of the BFP related to the utilization of funds. Thus, the office should look to this matter to increase the level of competence of the employees in the utilization of funds. Table 12 Level of competence of the respondents in conducting inspection on all units of the BFP related to the following: Performance Morale Welfare Discipline Utilization of funds Overall mean Mean 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.09 3.70 3.96 Interpretation High level of competency High level of competency High level of competency High level of competency Moderate level of competent High level of cmpetency

Table 13 shows the level of competence of the employees. The result in the table shows that employees have high level of competence in conducting intelligence accident involving BFP personnel and performing related tasks as directed by the chief of BFP. On the other hand, the employees have moderately level of competence in conducting investigation on vehicular accidents and performing special projects.

47

Table 13 Level of competence of the employees. 1. 2. 3. Level of competence in Conducting investigation on vehicular accidents involving fire trucks. Conducting investigation on accident involving BFP personnel. Conducting intelligence coverage on reported anomalous activities involving BFP personnel. Preparing special project that will enhance administrative efficiency. Preparing special project that will enhance operational readiness. Performing other related tasks as directed by the chief, BFP. Mean 3.09 3.36 3.82 Interpretation Moderate level of competent Moderate level of competent High level of competency

4. 5. 6.

3.36 3.36 4.18

Moderate level of competent Moderate level of competent High level of competency

Table 14 shows the problems encountered by the employees of BFP in discharging functions or duties. Table below shows that 75% of the employees said that they have problems on the logistical and financial support of the office. While 33% of the employees said that lack of cooperation of witnesses and dilatory tactics of counsels are problems that they have encountered. Table 14 Problems encountered by the respondents in discharging functions/duties. 1. Inadequacy of trained personnel. 2. Inadequacy of logistical and financial support. 3. Lack of cooperation of witnesses and dilatory tactics of counsels. 4. Mobility Frequency 2 9 4 2 Percentage 16.7 75.0 33.3 16.7

Table 15 shows the propose recommendations of the employees of BFP to enhance the services of the IAS NHQ BFP. Table below shows that 55% of the employees

48 recommend for an additional computer, internet services, travel allowance, etc. Other recommendations of the employees can be seen in the table below. Table 15 Propose recommendations of the respondents to enhance the services of the IAS NHQ BFP. 1. Adequate logistical and financial support (logistical support add computer/laptop, internet services, etc.; financial support travel allowances, etc.) 2. Procurement of service vehicle for immediate response to remote investigation. 3. To promote those qualified and observe seniority like entry in the BFP. 4. Promotion to the next higher rank. 5. A seminar or training be conducted to all IAS personnel. 6. Train all personnel of IAS nationwide. Total Frequency 6 Percentage 54.5

1 1 1 1 1 11

9.1 9.1 9.1 9.1 9.1 100.0

49 The correlational analysis of the two variables

Table 16 The correlation of the self-perceived competence of the BFA-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in the public governance. Self-Perceived Competence 7. Respondent 1 8. Respondent 2 9. Respondent 3 10. Respondent 4 11. Respondent 5 12. Respondent 6 13. Respondent 7 14. Respondent 8 15. Respondent 9 16. Respondent 10 17. Respondent 11 18. Respondent 12 3.23 3.27 2.00 1.96 1.96 1.96 1.88 1.73 1.77 1.73 1.96 1.96 Context and Concept of Corruption 90 85 75 60 60 65 60 55 50 45 65 65

R = 0.89 Intercept = 18.39 Slope = 21.80

50 Figure 2 Plotting of The correlation of the self-perceived competence of the BFA-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in the public governance.

Series1 Linear (Series1)

40 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50

Note: Exactly 1. A perfect downhill (negative) linear relationship 0.70. A strong downhill (negative) linear relationship 0.50. A moderate downhill (negative) relationship 0.30. A weak downhill (negative) linear relationship No linear relationship +0.30. A weak uphill (positive) linear relationship +0.50. A moderate uphill (positive) relationship +0.70. A strong uphill (positive) linear relationship Exactly +1. A perfect uphill (positive) linear relationship

51 CHAPTER VI SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary of Findings

The profile of the BFP IAS Personnel 1. The demographic characteristics in terms of the following: Age - showed that (92%) belonged to age bracket between 30 to 39 years old which means that almost all BFP-IAS Personnel are still young. This only showed that the present generation is already composed of young people who managed to work/employ at a young age;

Gender. The results showed that (58%) were females and only (42%) males. This can be attributed to the nature of work. BFP Personnel assigned to IAS are given office work which could be considered why there are more female personnel than male personnel; Civil Status. It reflected that (50%) of the BFP Personnel were already married and (48%) single and about (8%) were separated from his/her spouse. This means that married people have that desire to get employment for them to provide the needs of their family. Highest Educational Attainment. The results revealed that (83.3%) of the personnel did not pursue further studies. Hence, there is a need for the office to encourage personnel to pursue post graduate studies to enhance their skills/capabilities and their knowledge to make them more competent in their chosen field. Number of Years in the Service. The results showed that (50%) of the personnel have already served for more than five years in the service as there is only (8.3%) are new while (41.7%) have been able to serve for more than 11 to 15 years. This only showed that most of the personnel are already

52 experienced in the service. Status of Appointment. The results showed that (100%) of the personnel are all permanent. Type of Appointment. Likewise, (100%) are

categorized as having uniformed type of appointment. Rank of the Personnel. The results showed that (75%) of the total personnel belonged to the rank from FO1 to FO3, (17%) having the rank of SFO1 to SFO4, and only (8%) have the rank of Sr. Insp. Those who obtained the SR. Insp. Rank were those who pursued post graduate studies. This implied that those who continue further studies will help them obtain higher rank. Salary Grade of the Personnel. The results showed that (67%) of the total number of employees belonged to salary grade 14 to 16, only one belonged to salary grade 20. This could be attributed to the educational attainment and rank of the employee. Year of last

Promotion. The result showed that (75%) of the personnel were promoted last 2010 and the remaining (25%) were yet promoted last 1999, 2008 and 2009. Self Perceived Competence of the BFP-IAS Personnel In terms of the level of competence of the BFP-IAS Personnel, the results showed that employees high level of competence was obtained in conducting thorough investigation on matters related to personnel. Thus, BFP-IAS Personnel are already equipped in

investigating matters related to personnel. However, BFP-IAS Personnel have moderate level of competence in conducting thorough investigation related to equipment, funds, and facilities. Thus, the office should conduct such activity on seminar to further enhance the competence of the employees in the investigation. In terms of the competence of the BFP-IAS Personnel in conducting inspection in all units of the BFP related to their performance, morale, welfare, discipline and utilization of funds. It can be revealed that BFP-IAS Personnel have high level of competence in

53 conducting inspection in all units of the BFP related to their performance, morale, welfare and discipline. Thus, BFP-IAS Personnel are well versed along the area on performance, morale, welfare, and discipline except in the utilization of funds as there is a need for the office to provide the employees the needed funds to make them more competent enough in the conduct of their inspection along this area. It has also been observed that BFP-IAS Personnel have high level of competence in conducting intelligence accident involving BFP Personnel and in terms of performing related tasks assigned to them. However, the BFP-IAS Personnel have moderate level of competence in conducting investigation on vehicular accidents and performing special projects. This can be attributed to the limited funds allocated to them in terms of their mobilization.

Context and Concept of Corruption Considering that the passing mark in the interview is pegged at 75%, only three (3) of the 12 respondents were able to match the contextual and concept definition of corruption for the study. The lowest being 45%, with a modal score of 65% overall. The correlational analysis of the two variables With a 0.89 regression at an 18.39 intercept and 21.80 slope, the correlational link between the BFP-IAS personnels self-perceived competence and contextual concept of the working definition of corruption in the public governance is on a strong uphill (positive) linear relationship.

54

Conclusions The objective in simple regression is to generate the best line between the two variables (the tabled values of X and Y), i.e., the best line that fits the data points. Regression uses a formula to calculate the slope, then another formula to calculate the y-intercept, assuming there is a straight-line relationship. The best line, or fitted line, is the one that minimizes the distances of the points from the line, as shown in the accompanying figure. Since some of the distances are positive and some are negative, the distances are squared to make them additive, and the best line is one that gives lowest sum or least squares. For that reason, the regression technique will sometimes be called least squares analysis, therefore although the two variables presented that of the self-perceived competency and understanding of the working definition of corruption in public governance is not at a very high correlation it is in the ceiling of high correlation which means the self-worth of the BFP-IAS personnel is proportional to their actual understanding of the concept of corruption which is integral to the formation of their mandate. Therefore, the researcher moves to approve Hypothesis 1A: There is a significant correlation between the perceived level of competency among BFP-IAS personnel and their concept and context of corruption in public governance Recommendations The researcher, therefore highly recommends the upgrading of the personnel through a series of workshops and seminars that will not only hone them in the competency skills they are lacking but will also guide them in understanding the concept of corruption which in turn will make the department more efficient in terms of fulfilling its mandate.

55 Other lines of actions may include: 1. BFP-IAS Personnel should be provided with sufficient funds to enable them to perform their tasks and functions specifically in conducting investigation in the field work. 2. BFP-IAS Personnel should be adequately equipped with the necessary resources needed in their mobilization. 3. BFP-IAS Personnel should be provided with a service vehicle for an immediate response to cases which needs immediate action and solution. 4. Conduct yearly evaluation for the promotion of the BFP-IAS Personnel so that they could be motivated to perform their functions well at the same time to improve the level of competency in the designated task assigned to each one of them. Hence, provide efficient services to their clientele. 5. Provide incentives or rewards to witnesses so that they will come out of the open and cooperate in solving the cases submitted to the Office of the IAS. 6. Similar studies may be conducted identifying other variables in determining level of competency of the BFP-IAS.

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