BFP officials linked to rigged bids climb to 40–Remulla
From the initial 20, the number of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officials to be charged before the Office of the Ombudsman for rigging bids for the procurement of safety equipment has gone up to 40.
“Our case buildup is almost complete. Give it around one more week, then we’ll file at the Ombudsman …,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters in Camp Crame on Wednesday.
“Those who will be sued will include even the retired officials. There are around 40 of them,” he said.
In a previous interview, he stated that 20 senior BFP officials, all from the National Capital Region office, will be charged.
“We checked 20 years back. We’re looking at it because there was collusion in the bid process of the BFP. An organized crime syndicate grew in the BFP,” Remulla said.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, the bidding processes conducted in the last 25 years involved only two suppliers. However, he declined to identify the BFP officials to be charged as well as the suppliers.
Remulla said that he wanted to restore the integrity of the BFP, the same way he cleaned up the ranks of the Philippine National Police. Both the BFP and PNP are under the supervision of the DILG.
‘In the PNP, I am proud to say that there’s no syndicate now. We’ve dismantled them all. There’s no kidnapping syndicate. No kidnap-for-ransom. No hold-up. No extrajudicial killings. No ninja cops…,” he added. “Now, I will fix the BFP.”
In a statement later in the day, the BFP said that Remulla’s efforts to restore integrity in the bureau “boost the morale of thousands of honest firefighters who serve with integrity.”
“The message is clear: we stand as one with [Remulla] in his fight against corruption,” it added.
Body cameras added
As part of efforts to curb corruption within the BFP, all fire inspectors were directed earlier this week to use the newly procured body cameras when they inspect establishments for safety permits.
“We haven’t had complaints about extortions by fire inspectors … Complaints against fire inspectors before were 10 a day to zero now. So, I’m very happy we used technology against corruption and it’s working,” Remulla said.
Aside from using body cameras, fire inspectors must follow a “script” during inspections, which includes telling owners of the building or establishment that they are prohibited from selling any fire extinguisher or sprinkler system.
