Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said he will file corruption complaints against Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) chief Director Jesus Fernandez and several other officials of the BFP over alleged irregularities within the agency.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday, Remulla said he would personally file charges for grave misconduct and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“I will lay down the predicate of how he stole hundreds of millions from the people straight to his pocket and straight to his organization,” Remulla said.
The interior secretary said the complaint against the BFP chief would be the first in a series of legal actions aimed at strengthening institutions and addressing corruption in government agencies.
Remulla also disclosed that around 50 other individuals would be charged over alleged bid-rigging in the procurement of fire trucks from 2021 to 2025.
“It will show a very malicious attempt to create a syndicate to profit from the purchase of fire trucks in the Philippines,” he said.
Aside from procurement issues, the complaint is also expected to include inspectors allegedly involved in illegal practices related to fire safety inspections.
Remulla accused some inspectors of harassing business owners and forcing them to purchase fire extinguishers to secure approvals.
“Inspectors who sell fire extinguishers, who harass every single business owner in this country para kumita sila,” Remulla said.
(Inspectors who sell fire extinguishers and harass business owners in order to make money.)
The interior secretary earlier described the alleged corruption within the BFP as “cancerous,” saying reforms are necessary to restore public trust in the agency.