20 BFP execs face raps for rigging bids–DILG
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will file complaints against an initial 20 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) senior officials suspected of rigging the bidding processes for the procurement of fire safety equipment.
“I will file it before the Ombudsman in due time after proper case buildup,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters in an online interview on Tuesday.
He bared that he himself was offered a cut of P1.5 million for every firetruck procured by the BFP. The bureau is under the jurisdiction of the DILG, its parent agency.
In an interview with dzRH earlier in the day, Remulla said the DILG was preparing complaints against an initial batch of 20 BFP senior officials.
Asked by reporters whether these officials were all from the BFP’s National Capital Region (NCR) office, he answered in the affirmative.
“We will get the official list in a few days’ time. This is not yet nationwide. We will get there sooner of later,” Remulla said.
He recalled that in December, a close friend of his was approached by someone supposedly from the camp of the incumbent BFP chief, who offered him a kickback of P1.5 million for every firetruck sold to the bureau.
Asked to confirm if he was referring to Fire Director Jesus Fernandez, Remulla only said, “One of his staff talked to a close friend of mine. They did not approach me directly. They told my friend, ‘Please tell Sec, he would get P1.5 million per truck.’”
Asked whether he would be removing Fernandez from his post as a result, Remulla said only Mr. Marcos can relieve the BFP chief while he can make recommendations. The BFP chief is appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the DILG secretary, according to Republic Act No. 9263.
Billions in kickbacks
The DILG secretary estimated that the BFP collects more than P15 billion every year in kickbacks from local businesses.
“For the last 20 years, there has been bid rigging inside the BFP … Bidding conditions have become very restrictive and all fire trucks are overpriced … The BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) is in collusion with suppliers,” Remulla said.
He cited the case of a fire inspector who was recently flagged by the DILG for allegedly securing a deal to provide fire extinguishers worth P30 million—around double the normal cost—to developers of a building in Cubao, Quezon City.
“This deal was done under the table. No bidding was conducted. Fire inspectors are banned from making deals like this. It turns out that the supplier of fire extinguishers and the inspector were related to each other,” Remulla said in the online interview.
He had previously said that the P30-million deal prompted him to relieve administratively two BFP officials, one from the NCR office and the other from the Quezon City office.
More heads to roll
“More of them who will be relieved. This goes up to the inspectorate level in the NCR, in Quezon CIty. We also saw that the BAC of the BFP is involved in this corrupt practice as well,” Remulla said to reporters on Tuesday.
He also revealed other forms of corrupt practices within the bureau such as BFP officials demanding P500,000 from every applicant who wanted to join the bureau.
Remulla, who became the DILG chief in October 2024, said that he has only recently started addressing alleged anomalies within the BFP, as he initially focused on reform initiatives in the Philippine National Police, which is also under the DILG. He noted that the BFP had largely operated without oversight.
To curb corruption in the fire bureau, he said the DILG has procured body cameras to fully record fire safety inspections.
Training on the use of the body cameras has been completed by BFP personnel in Metro Manila while it is ongoing in Cebu, the Negros Island Region and Mindanao. The body cameras are set to be operational starting next Monday.
‘Hard truths’
The BFP, meanwhile, expressed its support for Remulla’s plan to charge the officials linked to corruption in a statement.
“The bureau views them as a direct order to face the hard truths about our organization,” it said. “The corruption allegations mentioned by the Secretary are not just numbers. They represent betrayal of public trust and waste of taxpayer money intended for public safety.”
The Inquirer sought comment from BFP spokesperson, Fire Superintendent Anthony Arroyo, on Remulla’s claims about Fernandez, but Arroyo said the BFP chief was away on official travel.
