The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has placed 12 officials of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) under a 90-day preventive suspension for alleged corruption in recruitment processes and irregularities in fire safety inspections.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said during a presscon on Tuesday that the move is part of the agency’s intensified campaign against misconduct within the BFP.
“Ang BFP sa ginagawa nila targets the middle class, the small-medium scale industries, pinipilit nilang bumili ng fire extinguisher, pinipilit nilang magpalagay ng sprinkler. Sila nangongontrata,” Remulla.
He added that in BFP Region 8 alone, four officials — from Fire Superintendent to Chief Superintendent — who are members of the Human Resource Merit Selection and Promotions Board, were found to have turned public service into a business.
Each applicant reportedly had to pay between PHP 400,000 to PHP 800,000 just to secure a position in the bureau.
During the press conference, Remulla and Atty. Brian Tomas presented a transcript of a conversation from a complainant, showing instructions given to applicants on where and how to pay.
Tomas explained that the information was validated against the officials’ accounts and locations where payments were allegedly made.
“Dati sinabi ko na sa inyo na merong sindikato, ginawang sindikato ang buong BFP. For the first time, we are showing conclusive proof na ang aplikante ay kailangan magbayad,” Remulla said.
“Sa Region 10, nag-approve sila ng 26 na aplikante na walang medical clearance. Ang sjuspetsa namin, nakapagbayad sila, hindi na dumaan sa medical clearance, dire-diretso na,” the DILG chief explained.
Remulla further detailed that cases were also filed against officials in other regions, including one officer in Region 1 allegedly demanded PHP 90,000 for a recruitment slot, while in Region 4A, administrative cases involve officials favoring certain fire extinguisher dealers in violation of existing regulations.
Atty. Romeo Benitez confirmed that the accused were found guilty of irregularities, including failing to conduct fire safety inspections despite receiving fees, and imposing ungrounded requirements on clients for fire extinguisher maintenance.
“They were found guilty of irregularity. If you are referring, sir, to Region 1, yes. He was found guilty of failing to conduct fire safety inspections despite receiving or due payment of fees,” the lawyer said.
“The ungrounded requirement of refilling fire extinguishers and repair of client or supplier of fire extinguishers. All of these acts are in violation of existing laws,” he added.
The DILG has already referred 21 of 40 complaints to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for case buildup.
“Umpisa pa lang po ito. Hinihikayat namin ang lahat na nag-a-apply ngayon sa BFP na magsabi ng totoo,” Remulla said.
Remulla also declared that case filings are being prepared against top BFP officials for alleged bid rigging which will be discussed in next week’s presscon.
