Former Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Chief Jesus Fernandez entered a “not guilty” plea during his arraignment Friday before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, where he is facing two counts of graft and two counts of indirect bribery.
According to the report of RH Val Gonzales, the cases stemmed from the alleged anomalous procurement of 132 ambulances worth P485 million by the BFP.
According to the anti-graft body’s investigation, Fernandez allegedly received a total of P14.75 million from Rosaverna Sangga, a representative of a joint venture that had an agreement with the BFP, as part of an alleged standard operating procedure or “SOP.”
Sangga allegedly gave Fernandez P10.752 million on November 21, 2024, and another P4 million on September 25, 2025.
The case originated from a complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) following a fact-finding investigation by the Task Force BFP Accountability into the ambulance procurement.
The Ombudsman previously dismissed Fernandez from government service after finding him administratively liable for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service in a separate case arising from the same transaction.
Aside from the case before the Third Division, Fernandez also has separate pending cases before the Sandiganbayan Fourth and Sixth Divisions in connection with the alleged irregularities.
