Research in Management & Statistics

Instructor: Prof. Diony V. Varela

Group - O

1) Legaspi, Venecio V. – Team Leader

2) Ocino Art Cesar Y. – Secretary
3) Aguilando, Felix Z., Jr. - Member
4) Gayoso, Lea B. - Member

a. Title

The Implementation of the SPIMS (Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir) Reintegration Program in the
Department of Migrant Workers

or

The Implementation of the SPIMS (Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir) Reintegration Program amid
transitions under the Department of Migrant Workers

b. Rationale/Significance of the Study

Labor migration remains a key component in the society and economy of the Philippines. While
the pandemic brought sudden drawbacks and challenges in the labor migration sector, particularly
among the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as thousands of them were repatriated
starting 2020, labor migration is seen to continue in the coming years due to its vital role in the
individual lives of OFWs and their families and the country’s economy by keeping it afloat. The
establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in 2022 only shows that the
Philippine Government sees the persistence of labor migration in the coming years and its
commitment to improving and responding to the needs of OFWs. Among the primary goal of the
DMW is reintegrating the OFWs into the country's social, cultural, and economic spheres when
they return after working abroad to ensure the continuity of their income. These reintegration
programs are currently implemented through livelihood programs and training sessions.

One of these programs is the “Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir” or the SPIMS reintegration program.
It was previously implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the National Reintegration Center for
OFWs (NRCO). In 2022, the NRCO was transferred to the DMW, meaning the implementation of
the SPIMS was now also transferred to the latter. Evaluating the implementation of the SPIMS
since it started in 2015 and analyzing how it would be affected in the DMW transition is relevant
today to determine the gaps and opportunities in its implementation and possible challenges amid
the transitions in the education and migration sectors and the coming years of its implementation,
particularly in the post-pandemic. This will also allow the effective implementation of the SPIMS
and the possible expansion or formation of similar programs that will genuinely offer reintegration
opportunities for OFWs.

c. Objectives of the Study

1. To evaluate the implementation of the SPIMS reintegration program, particularly its Online
Refresher Course training component, since its start in 2015.
2. To analyze how the program's transition to the Department of Migrant Workers affects its
implementation.
3. To determine possible gaps and opportunities for the improvement of the program amid
changes and developments in the education and migration sectors.
4. To assess the effectiveness of the SPIMS by evaluating the current condition and
competencies of its recipients.

d. Methodology

The study will employ a mixed method research design where the qualitative and quantitative
approaches in research will be utilized. This will allow a more in-depth study by exploring various
perspectives found in non-numeric data such as interviews, articles, reports, and documents, and
numeric data found in surveys and other similar reports and statistics. Mixed method research will
also expand the evidence base and explore the current trends and conditions of the subject (Shorten
and Smith, 2017). For Morse (2016), the quantitative approach in mixed method allows the
description aspect of the qualitative approach to be measured, thereby enriching the qualitative
phenomenon being investigated.

d.1 Subjects/Respondents/Participants/Sources of Data

The primary sources of data for this study would be the OFW recipients of the SPIMS and
officials from concerned agencies in the implementation of the SPIMS. Other data would be
derived from reports, documents, previous studies, and statistics regarding the SPIMS.

d.2 Selection Criteria and Sampling Technique

For the interviews, the participants should be an official of the concerned agencies and should
have a role and knowledge in the implementation of the SPIMS. For the survey, the study will
employ a snowballing sampling technique. Survey participants will be pooled through referrals
from previous participants who share similar characteristics based on the selection criteria
(Crouse and Lowe, 2018). The criteria for SPIMS recipients found in its implementing
guidelines will also be used in selecting the survey participants.

d.3 Instrument/s (Interview, FGD, Questionnaire, Observation, Documentary Analysis)

In line with the mixed method, the study will use a semi-structured interview guide for the
interviews to allow follow-up questions. A survey questionnaire will also be used for the
survey. The study will also utilize an Informed Consent Form as part of the research ethics and
protocol considerations.

d.4 Data Gathering Procedure

The data gathering for this study will be conducted through a semi-structured interview with
several officials from the concerned implementing agencies such as the Department of Migrant
Workers (DMW), OWWA, Philippine Normal University (PNU), and the Professional
Regulation Commission (PRC). Along with the interviews would be a survey to be gathered
from the OFWs recipients with equal representation from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Moreover, the study will carefully practice the appropriate research ethics and protocols. For
the interview, the identities of the participants will not be revealed. Instead, codes will be used
to identify them. For the survey, only the gender, age, province, and other information pertinent
to their work and migration history will be obtained. The study will also ensure that the consent
of the participants was obtained before conducting the interview or research with them.

d.5 Statistical Treatment

For the modes of analysis, the qualitative data from the interviews will undergo narrative
analysis to compare and analyze the interviews with previous studies, reports, and articles,
among others. Meanwhile, the quantitative data from the survey will undergo inferential
statistics to derive feelings, judgements, and opinions from the survey participants and turn
them into more general data (Trochim, 2022).

As a mixed method study, the data gathered will also undergo a triangulation method to
combine and properly evaluate the qualitative and quantitative data and the theories used in
this study (Noble and Heale, 2019). This will also allow a more balanced analysis and
discussion of the implementation of the SPIMS based on the interviews and survey.
REFERENCES:

Crouse, T., & Lowe, P. (2018). Snowball sampling. In B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia
of educational research, measurement, and evaluation (pp. 1532-1532). SAGE Publications,
Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n636

Morse, J.M. (2016). Mixed Method Design: Principles and Procedures (1st ed.). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315424538.

Noble H. and Heale, R. (2019). Triangulation in research, with examples. Evidence-Based

Nursing 22(3), 67-68.

Shorten, A. and Smith, J. (2017). Mixed methods research: expanding the evidence base. Evid
Based Nurs 20(3), 74-75. 10.1136/eb-2017-102699.

Trochim, W. (2022 November 11). Inferential Statistics. Conjointly. Retrieved 2022

November 11 from https://conjointly.com/kb/inferential-statistics/.