Policing the Territorial Waters of The Philippines: Work World of Philippine National Police - Maritime Group (PNP – MG) Troopers

As geopolitical dynamics change and the threat of transnational crimes persists, the need to protect territorial waters and address the growing issues associated with global marine security have taken on more significance. Countries all around the world are struggling with the necessity of protecting their internal waters from a variety of criminal activities, such as illegal fishing, piracy, and drug trafficking. This study explored the work world of PNP Maritime Group Troopers through a qualitative research method. The informants of this study were 10 Maritime Troopers assigned at Bohol Maritime Police Station. Four (4) informants were subjected to an in-depth interview and six (6) informants for the focus group discussion. The findings of this study are illustrated in emergent themes. Four (4) emergent themes described the positive and negative experiences of the informants in the performance of their duties in securing the internal waters of Bohol. For the positive experiences, two (2) emergent themes were developed, namely Familial and Pecuniary Incentives and Perpetual Duty Gratification. For the negative experiences, two (2) emergent themes were also developed, to wit: Unforeseen Logistical Impediments and Organizational Strain Intricacies. Meanwhile, two (2) emergent themes were formulated to explain the informants’ coping with the challenges encountered in the performance of their duties, namely: Optimizing Operation Efficiency and Strategic Dispute Management. Finally, two (2) emergent themes were created to express the aspirations of the informants to improve the quality of their work in securing the internal waters of Bohol, to wit: Biologically Benevolent Stewardship and Harmonious Excellent Synergy. Based on the emergent themes identified, it is recommended to implement targeted interventions addressing logistical challenges and enhance organizational support to have collaborative approaches to optimize efficiency of PNP Maritime Group Troopers in securing Bohol's internal waters.