The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) assured the public on Friday, Feb. 13, that it will take “quick action” on all personal and online complaints filed against corrupt fire personnel.

Amid corruption accusations hounding the agency, the BFP said it stands united with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla in weeding out scalawags within its ranks.

The BFP Internal Affairs Service said it is monitoring all reports received through various channels. These include Hotline 911, Email: [email protected], Facebook: Bureau of Fire Protection, Hotline 8888, and the website bfp.gov.ph/complaint-form.

In recent months, the BFP has been the subject of Remulla’s tirades as 40 members of the BFP Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) from 2014 to 2025 are expected to face complaints for alleged bid rigging in what the DILG chief described as “cancerous corruption in the BFP.”

Remulla said BFP officials under the BAC, along with incumbent and former fire directors over the past decade, will be included in the complaint.

The DILG earlier launched a probe to dismantle an alleged “organized crime syndicate” that has reportedly become entrenched in some BFP offices. The investigation covers the recruitment process, procurement of assets, and issuance of fire safety permits.

In response, the BFP said it has been actively enforcing a rigorous anti-extortion campaign in its recruitment, promotion, and transfer processes.

Through OPLAN SANTINDIG, the BFP has closely coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to investigate alleged irregularities within the bureau.

Under its anti-corruption drive, the BFP said several individuals have been apprehended for alleged extortion and for soliciting payments within and outside the agency.

Acknowledging Remulla’s concerns, the BFP said it views them as a challenge to accelerate its internal cleansing and modernization efforts. It adopted a zero-tolerance stance against corruption and stressed its commitment to transparent and equitable hiring practices, and the bureau said offenders are penalized regardless of affiliation.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, Remulla insisted that systematic change in the BFP is forthcoming amid rampant corruption in fire safety inspections.

“I have faith in the Filipino people. As long as proper leadership is in place, mapipigil lahat ’yan (all corruption will be stopped). With the proper person, magtitino na ’yan (everything will be set right),” Remulla said.

He revealed that a new modus operandi in the application process for fire safety certification of businesses was discovered weeks after the launch of the mandatory use of body-worn cameras.

Remulla said the DILG conducted a backtracking initiative by analyzing customer satisfaction among business establishments that underwent the revamped fire safety inspection process. He said 99 percent reportedly had complaints.

Instead of inspectors conducting the inspection first, Remulla said the modus has been reversed from the previous practice of peddling specific brands of fire safety equipment in exchange for clearance.

“Nireverse nila ngayon. Imbes na mauuna ang fire inspector, nauna ngayon na magbenta ng fire extinguisher (They reversed the process. Instead of the fire inspector arriving first at the inspection site, someone sells fire extinguishers beforehand),” Remulla said.

The DILG chief urged business owners to report erring inspectors to the central emergency hotline.

“Sa mga may-ari ng negosyo, paki-video ang nakikita ninyo na nagbebenta ng fire extinguisher at itawag ninyo agad sa 911. Ang 911 ay magreresponde kaagad (To business owners, please take videos of those selling fire extinguishers and immediately call 911. Personnel will respond at once),” he said.

Remulla said his priority is structural reform in the BFP. He noted that local chief executives have been implicated in the anomaly, which disrupts efforts to streamline business permit processing among local government units.

“Ang mahirap dito, kawawa ang mga mayor kasi hindi nila mabibigyan ng business permit ang mga negosyante kung walang fire safety inspection certificate, when in fact wala silang kinalaman diyan (The difficult part here is that mayors are put in a bad position because they cannot issue business permits without a fire safety inspection certificate, even though they have nothing to do with it),” Remulla said.