Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Wednesday that he plans to file charges against Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Chief Gen. Jesus Fernandez and other personnel in connection with the corruption network formed within the bureau.

During his opening statement at a Kapihan session, Remulla said he will be filing for grave misconduct, graft and corruption charges against the fire director.

“Tomorrow, I will file charges against General Fernandez for a clear case of grave misconduct, graft and corruption. I will lay down the predicate of how he stole hundreds of millions from the people, it went straight to his pocket, and straight to his organization,” he said.

Aside from Fernandez, Remulla will also file cases against another 50 individuals under the BFP for bid rigging and inspectors who forced business owners to purchase fire extinguishers for profit.

He claimed they would sell these for triple the original price and refused to grant business owners a permit until they conceded.

“The challenge doesn’t end there. The day after, we will file cases against another 15 individuals for bid rigging—the entirety of this starting from 2021 to 2025. It will show a very malicious attempt to create a syndicate to profit from the purchase of fire trucks in the Philippines,” the Interior secretary said.

“And it doesn’t end there. We’re filing cases against inspectors who (sold) fire extinguishers, who harassed every single business owner in this country para kumita sila. It’s a $15 billion a year industry that the BFP is into and we will dismantle it,” he said.

Remulla explained that the bureau primarily preys on the middle class.

“The single biggest victims of my department members’ shenanigans are the middle class. Tindahan, bebentahan ng fire extinguisher. Clinic—kahit asawa ko. Clinic niya, 30 square meters, binentahan, tatlong fire extinguisher. Every year, pinupuntahan nila. Maliit na gasolinahan, titirahin nila,” he shared.

“Lahat ng building na ito, tumingin kayo, nakapaligid diyan—lahat ng hanapbuhay dito, binu-bwisit ng BFP… This has to stop,” he added.

“May araw rin sila,” he vowed.

The former Cavite governor said that public servants must protect and serve instead of leveraging their positions for gain.

“We have to make the country strong. We have to make the institution strong. We have to make sure that those who enter public service are not there to profit from it. Rather, they are there to protect and to serve,” he said.

According to Remulla, the “deeply-rooted corruption network” within the BFP siphons around ₱15 billion from the public yearly.