Walking The Thin Line: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Philippine National Police Intelligence Personnel in PRO BAR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22135346Keywords:
intelligence personnel, phenomenology, occupational stress, operational risk, police well-being, PRO BARAbstract
This study explored the lived experiences of Philippine National Police intelligence personnel assigned to the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR), with emphasis on daily operational demands, effects on personal life and well-being, coping mechanisms, and aspirations for safer and more sustainable intelligence work. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Twenty intelligence personnel, composed of two Police Commissioned Officers and eighteen Police Non-Commissioned Officers with direct intelligence-operational experience, were purposively selected until data saturation was reached. Data were generated through validated semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed through the thematic-analysis procedure reported in the dissertation. Four themes characterized daily operations: Constant Vigilance and Hyper-Awareness, Information Management and Discretion, Risk, Uncertainty, and Danger, and Operational Adaptability and Covert Tradecraft. Personal and relational effects were reflected in Spillover of Professional Suspicion, Emotional Strain and Isolation, Disruption of Routines and Domestic Life, and Personal Growth and Resilience. Coping centered on Role Compartmentalization, Peer, Leadership, and Systemic Support, Physical and Mental Outlets, and Adherence to Core Protocols and Ethics. Participants aspired to Sustainable Vigilance and Safety Frameworks, Preservation of Identity and Anonymity, Inter-Agency Validation and Shared Security Cultures, and Family and Ethical Grounds as Anchors. The findings indicate that intelligence work generates intertwined operational, psychological, relational, and institutional demands that cannot be addressed through individual resilience alone. The study consequently proposed the Integrated Operational Readiness and Holistic Well-Being Program (IORHWP), a five-pillar institutional intervention integrating tactical decompression, peer support, family protection, inter-agency validation, and ethical and physical-wellness measures.
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