More than 200 Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officers and their alleged cohorts are facing investigation over a recruitment racket that has prompted the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to push sweeping reforms within the agency under its monitoring.

DILG Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said Friday, Aug. 28, that the probe over the "slot-for-sale" scheme is part of an effort to put an end to the alleged corruption in the BFP that has supposedly been ongoing for decades already.

“We are going after the entire institution and all the rotten eggs linked to all forms of corrupt practices. I am warning all BFP officials to come out now and confess your misdeeds or we will run after you until the end of your careers,” he said.

The crackdown gained momentum after the BFP and the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested a fire officer on Aug. 24 in San Fernando, Pampanga over an alleged P500,000 recruitment scam.

The case began after a complainant reported that the suspect had allegedly contacted him through Facebook Messenger using a dummy account, offering a BFP recruitment slot in exchange for money.

The BFP Region 3, under Acting Regional Director Senior Supt. Bernard Rosete, coordinated with the CIDG Regional Field Unit 3 and arranged a series of meetings between the complainant and the suspect.

During their initial meeting, the suspect presented a BFP identification card and claimed to have previously sold recruitment slots in other regions. He later demanded P500,000 from the victim.

The complainant agreed to make an initial payment of P300,000, which led to the entrapment operation.

The suspect was arrested during a succeeding meeting as the marked money was handed over.

The Aug. 24 arrest was the second such case cited by BFP officer-in-charge Wilberto Neil Rico Kwan Tiu as part of the agency’s internal cleansing.

“On August 5, a Fire Officer 3 was arrested from BFP Region 1 for a P150,000 recruitment scam. On August 24, a Senior Fire Officer 1 from BFP NCR was caught in Region 3 for a P500,000 ‘slots-for-sale’ scheme,” Kwan Tiu revealed.

The BFP has since taken administrative action against the two personnel as the Fire Officer 3 was issued a dismissal order, while proceedings against the Senior Fire Officer 1 remain ongoing.

Kwan Tiu said the arrests were part of a broader effort to address vulnerabilities in recruitment and other transactions within the agency.

“The instructions from the secretary [Remulla] were very clear. Earlier this year, we started with the relief of 902 FSIs, followed by the implementation of the E-Hiring System, and now we have apprehended two fire officers,” he said.

To recall, a total of 902 Fire Safety Inspectors in the National Capital Region were relieved as part of the cleanup of the BFP’s Fire Safety Enforcement System (FSES). The agency has also required inspectors to use body-worn cameras during inspections.

The measures are intended to address corruption risks not only in recruitment but also in promotions, transfers, and fire safety enforcement, he said.

Under “OPLAN SANTINDIG,” or Sama-samang Aksyon Naayon sa Totoo na Serbisyong may Integridad at Dignidad, the BFP is conducting anti-extortion campaigns covering recruitment and promotions.

Kwan Tiu said the agency would maintain a strict hiring process and urged applicants and other members of the public to report irregularities.

“The BFP remains committed to a strict and fair hiring process,” he added.