‘MASSIVE CLEANUP’: Remulla calls BFP among most corrupt agencies

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Jennifer P. Rendon

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla Jr. said he will carry out a sweeping cleanup of the Bureau of Fire Protection, which he described as among the most corrupt agencies in the country.

“We will clean up the BFP. In my opinion, it is one of the most corrupt organizations in the country. We will exert all efforts to stop corruption there,” Remulla said during a press conference with Iloilo media on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Remulla made the remarks when asked about his priorities for implementing the DILG’s PHP 310.5 billion budget for 2026, which accounts for the fourth-largest share of the approved PHP 6.793 trillion national budget.

He cited alleged corrupt practices within the BFP, including personnel who reportedly sell fire extinguishers as a condition for securing fire safety clearances.

Remulla also cited claims of officials endorsing specific contractors for fire sprinkler installations and deliberately delaying applications for building permits.

“We would exert all efforts to stop corruption, especially in the selling of fire extinguishers, contracting of sprinklers, and processing of building permits. We will clean all of that up,” he said.

As part of reform efforts, Remulla said the DILG has procured 15,000 body-worn cameras for fire inspectors to ensure transparency during inspections.

“These will operate 24 hours a day. Once they are activated, they cannot be turned off. All their conversations will be recorded,” he said. “There will be no more irregularities because everything can be recorded and accessed at any time.”

He added that the technology is designed to be highly intrusive to deter misconduct and allow monitoring at all times.

Remulla said the department will also continue training police personnel to further professionalize the force, noting that the Philippine National Police has reached an 80 percent public trust rating.

He said sustaining and expanding the Unified 911 Emergency Hotline System is another top priority of the department.

“Our 911 system is about to go nationwide in about six to eight weeks. It is already being set up in Iloilo. Once unified, there will be only one emergency number to call across the Philippines,” Remulla said.

Launched in September 2025, the Unified 911 system integrates police, fire, and medical emergency services into a single nationwide number and supports text, video, and location data to speed up response times.

The Commission on Audit, however, earlier flagged the DILG for delays in the PHP 195 million Emergency 911 National Office and Command Center project.

The facility in Quezon City remains unfinished despite extensions beyond its original 2021 completion target, with construction reportedly halted by the contractor since December 2022.

Remulla has previously labeled the BFP as the most corrupt agency under the DILG, citing past allegations such as PHP 500,000 recruitment fees, bribery for fire safety inspection certificates, inflated sprinkler contracts, and mandatory fire extinguisher purchases from favored suppliers.

These allegations prompted internal reform measures within the BFP, including Oplan Santindig, the electronic fire safety inspection certificate system, and coordination with the PNP for the arrest of erring personnel.