Bacolod fire station warns vs prank calls

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Bacolod City Fire Station condemned the irresponsible act of making false emergency reports and fraudulent food delivery orders following a false fire report in Barangay Villamonte on Monday night.

Fire Supt. Jenny Mae Masip, city fire marshal, said the fire station received a residential fire call at 8:40 p.m. in Villa Angela Subdivision, prompting the immediate dispatch of firefighters to the area.

However, upon arrival and after a thorough assessment of the area, responding personnel confirmed that no fire had occurred and that the report was a false alarm.

Further information gathered indicated that the same address had allegedly been used to place fraudulent food delivery orders involving six riders, causing inconvenience, financial losses, and unnecessary exposure of delivery personnel to potential danger.

In a statement, Masip warned individuals who make prank calls that they may be held liable under the law, including provisions on public alarm, unlawful use of communication facilities, obstruction of public services, and other relevant laws that may be determined by proper investigating authorities.

Individuals who intentionally place fraudulent food delivery orders may also face possible civil and criminal liabilities, depending on the circumstances established during the investigation, including allegations involving fraud, deceit, or causing financial damage to affected parties.

Masip said such acts not only waste valuable resources but also place the public and emergency responders at risk.

“Making false emergency reports is a serious offense,” Masip said, adding that such acts divert emergency resources away from legitimate incidents where lives and property may be at stake.

Every emergency response mobilizes firefighters, fire trucks, equipment, and personnel whose services may be urgently needed elsewhere, she added.

“Let us all be responsible citizens and help keep our emergency response systems available for those who truly need assistance,” the fire station said in its public advisory.

Under Republic Act 9514, or the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines, false or malicious fire alarms are prohibited, while the Department of the Interior and Local Government has also warned that prank emergency calls may be penalized under existing laws.

In April, the Bureau of Fire Protection-Bacolod also warned business establishments and the public against food order scams involving individuals falsely claiming to represent BFP personnel.

Mayor Greg Gasataya, in a statement, condemned the irresponsible and dangerous acts and ordered the City Legal Office to assist the BFP and the Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade in filing formal complaints regarding the incident.

The city is also coordinating with the Bacolod City Police Office to use all available technological and investigative resources to trace the digital footprint of these transactions and identify the perpetrator.

Gasataya said deliberately diverting emergency responders for a hoax is a severe threat to public safety that leaves the entire city vulnerable to actual emergencies.

The mayor added that exploiting essential delivery personnel inflicts unjust financial harm and unnecessary risk on hardworking citizens striving to earn an honest living.

“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that undermines our public safety infrastructure and preys upon our workforce,” Gasataya said.

Gasataya stressed that diverting life-saving resources for the sake of a joke is a reckless and criminal act.

“We will ensure that the person responsible for this blatant disregard for public safety is made accountable under the fullest extent of the law,” he warned.