The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) insisted o that it does not accredit, endorse or recommend any specific brand, store or distributor of fire extinguishers or other equipment.

In an advisory, the BFP stressed that any business enterprise or individual claiming their products are BFP-approved, BFP-certified, and the like is misrepresenting the bureau and its mandates.

Under the BFP Memorandum Circular No. 2016-016, all BFP personnel are strictly prohibited from engaging in the sale of fire extinguishers or acting as agents/endorsers for any manufacturer or supplier.

Section 12, Paragraph (f) of Republic Act (RA) 11032 specifies that the BFP or any of its officials or employees shall not sell, or recommend specific brands of fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment to any applicant or requesting party or business entity.

“Any violation thereof shall be punishable by imprisonment of one (1) year to six years and a penalty of not less than P500,000 but not more than P2 million,’’ the BFP explained.

The BFP advised the public to look for the Philippine Standards (PS) mark or the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker to ensure product safety and quality.

Likewise, the BFP assured the strict enforcement and adherence to the “no body-worn camera, no inspection’’ policy in a bid to unearth corruption allegations and other questionable transactions during fire safety inspections.

In a statement, the BFP emphasized that the policy is in accordance with BFP memorandum Circular 2026-001, which pertains to the “operational guidelines and policies on the use of body-worn cameras during the conduct of fire safety inspections.’’

The BFP explained that the policy serves as protection for both our safety enforcers and the business community during the conduct of fire safety inspections.

However, the BFP appealed to the public for their patience and understanding for any delay or inconvenience this may temporarily cause, as we seek to faithfully comply with the mandated procedures in the conduct of our official duties.

The BFP vowed to the public that “quick action’’ will be taken religiously on all personal and online complaints filed against corrupt fire personnel.

Besieged by corruption accusations, the BFP asserted that it is one with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic’’ Remulla in weeding out the scalawags in its ranks.

The BFP Internal Affairs Service said that it is monitoring all reports coming from various online channels Hotline number 911, Email: [email protected], Facebook: Bureau of Fire Protection Hotline: 8888 and Website: bfp.gov.ph/complaint-form.

In the past several months, the BFP has been at the receiving end of Remulla’s tirade with BFP Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members from 2014 to 2025 soon facing complaints for alleged rig bidding in what the DILG chief described as “cancerous corruption in the BFP.’’

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

Recently, the DILG has launched a probe to dismantle an alleged “organized crime syndicate” that has become a norm in the course of time in some BFP areas, covering recruitment process, procurement of assets and the issuance of fire safety permits.

In response, the BFP guaranteed that the agency has actively enforced the rigorous anti-extortion campaign in its recruitment, promotion and transfer processes.

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

On February 12, Remulla insisted that systematic change in the BFP is in the offing amid rampant corruption in fire safety inspections that can be straightened out under his administration. He revealed that a new modus operandi in the application for fire safety certification of businesses has been discovered, a few weeks after the launch of the mandatory use of body-worn cameras (BWCs).

Remulla said the DILG conducted a backtracking initiative by analyzing customer satisfaction among business establishments that experienced the revamped fire safety inspection, expressing dismay that 99 percent have public complaints.

Instead of the fire inspector first conducting the inspection, Remulla branded modus as the reverse of the previous means of peddling specific brands of fire safety assets in exchange for clearance.

“Nireverse nila ngayon. Imbes na mauuna ang fire inspector, nauna ngayon na magbenta ng fire extinguisher (They had reversed the process now. Instead of the fire inspector present first to arrive at the inspection site, fire extinguishers are being done beforehand),’’ Remulla said.

The DILG chief called on the business owners to report erring fire safety inspectors to the country’s 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 the business owners, please take videos of those selling fire extinguishers and contact 911. The 911 personnel will immediately respond to the complaint),’’ he added.