Common name PNP Maritime Group Formed January 16, 1991 | Abbreviation PNP-MG | |
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Motto "By Land and Sea, we overcome" Preceding agencies Constabulary Off-Shore Anti-Crime battalion (COSAC)
PNP Maritime Police Command (PNP-MARICOM) Legal personality Governmental: Government agency | ||
The Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP-MG) is one of the twelve (12) National Operational Support Unit (NOSU) of the Philippine National Police mandated to perform all police functions over Philippine territorial waters, lakes, and rivers along coastal areas to include ports and harbors and small islands for the security and the sustainable development of the maritime environment in the Philippines. The unit was created along with the PNP by virtue of Republic Act RA 6975 otherwise known as Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 (Section 35.b.1):
Contents
History
The concept of a maritime police unit emanated during the days of Philippine Constabulary that led to the creation of a seaborne battalion called Constabulary Off-Shore Anti-Crime battalion (COSAC) on February 1, 1971. The COSAC was tasked to suppress all criminal activities that affects the environment. After the establishment of the Philippine National Police thru the Republic Act 6975, the Maritime Police Command (MARICOM) was created on January 16, 1991, by virtue of NHQ Philippine National Police General Orders No. 58 as one of the National Support Units of the PNP. The original members of the Maritime Command are personnel of Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Marine Corps, Integrated National Police and Philippine Coast Guard. On September 12, 1996, the National Police Commission (Philippines) issued the Resolution No.96-058, changing the name of the Maritime Police Command (MARICOM) to Maritime Group (MG).
Mission
To perform all police functions and ensure public safety and internal security over Philippine territorial waters and rivers including ports of entry and exit; and sustain the protection of the maritime environment. These include the following specific functions:
Functions
Organization
The unit is currently headed by Police Chief Superintendent Edmund A. Gonzales as the Acting Director. It operates 17 regional maritime units (RMUs) and 2 special units (SUs).
Special Operations Unit
In response to the increasing number of criminal activities committed at sea, the National Police Commission (Philippines) approved the activation of Three (3) Special Operations Units (SOUs) under the direct operational and administrative control of PNP Maritime Group. These units are envisioned to protect the territorial waters of the Philippines by providing rapid and highly mobile seaborne law enforcement response.
The operational jurisdiction of these SOUs are as follows:
Their mandates and tasks includes:
Operational accomplishments
The PNP Maritime Group is very active in the conduct of maritime law enforcement operations which resulted to several notable operational accomplishments. The unit is focused on preventing and/or arresting dynamite and cyanide fishers, wildlife law violators and foreign commercial vessels that are intruding in the country. For 2014, the unit accomplished the following:
The PNP-MG confiscated an estimated Php107 million worth (2.2 million US Dollar) of evidence.
Chinese Fishermen Poaching of more than 500 Sea turtles in Palawan
On May 6, 2014, a PNP Maritime Group patrol intercepted a Chinese fishing vessel loaded with about 500 live and dead Sea turtles, of assorted species, off the coast of Western Palawan. Nine (9) Chinese fishermen were arrested and later charged for violations of Fishery and Wildlife laws of the Philippines. A total of 555 Sea turtles were recovered based on the inventory of the PNP Maritime Group. Of these total, 177 were alive and were released immediately back to wild. The maritime police investigators also discovered that 207 sea turtles were slaughtered and stuffed by the Chinese fishermen.