FIREFIGHTERS are supposed to put off destructive flames. But from how it looks, the country’s Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) miserably failed to prevent a smoke from developing into a full blown institutional disaster.
This comes as the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) sought the dismissal of BFP chief Jesus Fernandez amid alleged involvement in a lucrative scheme amounting to P15 billion annually.
The DILG earlier commenced a probe involving 20 senior BFP officials over alleged ‘kickbacks’ embarking on rigged bidding, overpriced fire safety equipment and forced purchases tied to fire safety inspection certificates.
According to DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Fernandez seemed aware of the dubious schemes and billion-peso anomalies within the bureau.
The Philippine National Police — through the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is investigating alleged anomalies, with a full report expected to be released soon and subsequent charges set to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Remulla described the investigation as “deep-seated” with preliminary findings indicating annual kickbacks exceeding P15 billion reportedly rooted to spurious bidding, procurement and harassment in the issuance of fire safety inspection certificates.
Specific cases of irregularities that were uncovered in the probe include overpriced fire extinguishers linked to supplier collusion and a P30-million under-the-table deal in Quezon City.
The investigation covers BFP transactions in the last five years.