AIR LINK INTERNATIONAL AVIATION COLLEGE

Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

People not only in the Philippines but across the globe experienced a

tremendous challenge during the 1 st quarter of 2020. It has been a trend

nationwide that the newly discovered strain of the communicable virus causes

harm to the individual. According to the article written by C.M Tomlin in National

Geographic Kids entitled “Facts about Corona Virus”, The term "coronavirus"

refers to a family of viruses that causes many different types of diseases,

including the common cold. COVID-19 is a "novel coronavirus," which means it is

a new disease unfamiliar to scientists and doctors. Scientists do not know the

exact origin of COVID -19, and they might never have all the answers. But they

do know that diseases start in animals before spreading to humans. These types

of diseases are called zoonotic. Cows, bats, and camels are among the animals

that have spread diseases to humans in the past. The COVID-19 disease is also

zoonotic, with the first cases popping up in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

The affected humans were all connected to a nearby market that sold live

animals.

Not only people are affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic but also their

livelihood and businesses. Several industries globally have been affected by the

COVID-19 Pandemic. In the Philippines, majority of the businesses has forced to

close as mandated by the government to prevent the spread of the virus. The
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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

inter-agency task force leading the country's COVID-19 response is set to

release the list of industries that are allowed to stay open during the modified

enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces to

curb increasing infections. Non-essential movement, mass gatherings, and dining

in restaurants will remain banned in Metro Manila and in the provinces of

Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite, (ABS-CBN News, 2021). Only the sectors

providing essential services were allowed to operate during the COVID-19

Pandemic. Hospitals, Food Manufacturing Companies, Hygiene and Sanitation

Industries, Pharmaceutical Industries, and the like are actively operating during

that time, following the minimum health standards protocol set by the

government.

Aside from non-essential movement, travelling from different part of the

country is banned by the government and this has affected some sectors in the

country that the operation is focus mainly on travel. One industry affected was

the Aviation Industry, all flights, international or domestic flights were banned.

Airliners were forced to stop their operation in line with the protocol to prevent the

fast proliferation of the virus during the pandemic. According to the article written

by J. Ferreras, entitled “What Local Airlines Want You to Know Amid Pandemic”

states that not even a year since the pandemic struck the globe, we’ve seen

several airlines collapse and shut down from bankruptcy. Among the most recent

ones to announce their closure include Cathay Dragon and AirAsia Japan. In the

Philippines, thankfully, none of our airlines have reached such a point. However,

the massive layoffs by both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, affecting
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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

thousands of Filipino airline workers, are no laughing matter. One airline worker

shared that seeing how the country has been faring amid the pandemic, it could

take the industry at least five more years to fully recover.

Background of the Study

Filipinos are known to be resilient in all challenges faced along the way.

They’ve known to be as strong as a rock when facing all kinds of problems that

they may face. This COVID-19 Pandemic is considered one of the biggest

challenges that many people including Filipinos have experienced. They’ve

learned to cope with the current situation to survive. Coping mechanisms are the

strategies people often use in the face of stress and/or trauma to help manage

painful or difficult emotions. Coping mechanisms can help people adjust to

stressful events while helping them maintain their emotional well-being.

Significant life events, whether positive or negative, can cause psychological

stress. To adjust to this stress, people may utilize some combination of behavior,

thought, and emotion, depending on the situation.

(https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psych pedia/coping-mechanisms, 2018)

When people are stressed, they tend to divert their attention to something

that distracts them from the current situation which causes their stress. COVID-

19 Pandemic brought a lot of stress to us especially to those people that are

required to go to work amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Some people tend to adopt

some coping mechanisms which help them to stabilize their mental health.

Eating, exercising, spending time with nature, are kinds of coping mechanisms to
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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

name just a few. According to the local study conducted by M. N. Serino et.al.,

entitled “Local Response and Coping Mechanisms Adopted to Disruptions

Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Filipino State University” states

that there are General Coping Mechanisms adopted by the people during the

COVID-19 Pandemic and these are 1) Doing household chores, 2) Spending

time with family, 3) Increased social media usage, 4) Surfing the internet, 5)

Gardening, 6) Educating myself through writing and reading.

When people learn to cope with the current situation they are facing,

people tend to be more resilient. They tend to look for an alternative way on how

to survive and to recover on the current situation and plan how to survive the

future same scenario. According to the U.S Department of Homeland Security,

post-disaster recovery planning for communities assessing local needs in

recovery, carrying out a recovery planning process, and determining which

projects best support the community’s future vision and priorities. Just like on the

previous crisis people have experienced since 2020 which is the COVID-19

Pandemic, some businesses across the globe including the Philippines have

already established their recovery plan in preparation for future crisis they might

face. According to the article written by A. Paloyo, et.al, 2020 entitled, “Philippine

Social Protection and Recovery Plan”, states that the world is facing its biggest

public health crisis in a century. Managing this crisis via a lockdown requires an

intentional contraction of the economy of unprecedented proportions. This

deliberate and unavoidable drawdown in market activity will put businesses at

risk of destruction, with hundreds of thousands of Filipinos likely to lose their

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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

sources of livelihood. Many households will be plunged into poverty. Without

assistance, those who are already poor will find themselves at the literal

threshold of life and death as they battle both the virus that is ravaging their

health and well-being, and the economic hardship that will almost certainly exact

a social — if not physical — death. Even those who are currently economically

stable risk joining the ranks of the vulnerable. Coping mechanisms and recovery

plan are the two factors considered that people should learned during the event

of crisis. Business owners with large businesses are afraid to lose their business,

that’s why they usually come up with a plan that might be used during the crisis

they might face in the future.

Theoretical Framework

The study that will be conducted was anchored to the previous study

conducted by MA. Berawi et.al., last December 2020 entitled “Post-COVID-19

Recovery Models and Strategies for Aviation in Indonesia” states that the global

aviation has experienced many crises in the past, each of which has had a

significant impact on air traffic. After each fall, the industry recovers and returns

stronger, exceeding the previous volume of traffic; however, the COVID-19

pandemic presents a new level of concern, with unknown detrimental effects.

The airlines, airports and all other partners involved have greatly suffered. The

airport system has been hit by flight closures in many markets, including

Indonesia. Airport management and operating companies, concessionaires,

terminal tenants, ground handling and catering companies, and the various
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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

partners involved are under stress and financial constraints due to the pandemic.

In response to this, the flight plan for the “new normal” considers the new flight

demand and airline market structure scenarios. By using the qualitative

approach, this research tries to construct recovery models and strategies for the

Indonesian aviation industry post-pandemic. Results show several scenarios,

classified as optimistic, moderate, and conservative for the recovery of the

industry. This requires the construction of a business model through the V-shape,

U-shape, Prolonged U-shape, L-shape and W-shape. In striving for the recovery

of the aviation industry, three strategies are needed: survival, growth, and

sustainability.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Research Paradigm

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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Figure 1 shows the research paradigm that will be used in this study. This

includes the input, process, and output of the study. The input includes the

different coping mechanisms which include the five (5) coping mechanisms.

The process includes the use of survey questionnaires, data gathering,

and statistical analysis of the data gathered.

The output includes the Identification of coping mechanisms, a summary

of the distribution of the different coping mechanisms based on Likert responses,

and information on the most frequent coping mechanisms that will serve as a

reference for future studies investigating the adaptation strategies of AMT

personnel of other airline companies in the Philippines.

Objectives of the Study

The study generally aims to determine the coping mechanisms adopted by

the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians of Air Link International Aviation College

(ALIAC) during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Specifically, it seeks to:

1. Identify and describe the different coping mechanisms of ALIAC Aircraft

Maintenance Technicians beneficial in upscaling their proficiency,

2. Summarize the distribution of the different coping mechanisms based on

Likert responses, and

3. Provide information on the most frequent coping mechanisms that will

serve as a reference for future studies investigating the adaptation

strategies of AMT personnel of other airline companies in the Philippines.

 AIR LINK INTERNATIONAL AVIATION COLLEGE
Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Scope and Limitations

The study that will be conducted will focus only on the approved

maintenance organization of Air Link International Aviation College (ALIAC).

A survey form will be used as a tool to gather data from the respondents.

Research journals will also be utilized to support the study to be able to attain the

needed information that will suffice the need of the study.

Significance of the Study

Researchers. The study that will be conducted will improve their research

skills and they will be able to gain more knowledge about the different coping

mechanisms used by the personnel working in the Airline Industry during the

COVID-19 Pandemic.

Future Researchers. The study that will be conducted may be used by

future researchers as their basis for exploring the other AMT personnel of other

airlines aside from the AMT personnel of the approved maintenance organization

of Air Link International Aviation College.

Airline Industries. This study will serve as an eye-opener for other airline

companies about the importance of learning to cope with the current situation

and learn how to recover during an event of a crisis like a Pandemic.

Aviation Industries. They may use the study that will be conducted to

disseminate information to other sectors of the aviation industry about the Coping

Mechanisms adopted by the personnel of Air Link International Aviation College

(ALIAC) approved maintenance organization.

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Department of Aircraft Maintenance Technology

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of clarity and a better understanding of the concepts that

will be presented in the study, the following definitions will be offered. This

includes the terminologies used by the researchers in this study.

COVID-19. The term used to describe the Pandemic experienced by the

people for the past years.

Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMT). They will be the respondents

of the study that will be conducted. They will be subjected to interviews, asked to

answer the questionnaires and online survey forms.

Coping Mechanism. Factor used by the AMT personnel of approved

maintenance organization of Air Link International Aviation College (ALIAC).