Makabayan bloc seeks inquiry into BFP’s fire truck procurement process

The House Makabayan bloc has sought an investigation into the Bureau of Fire Protection’s (BFP) truck procurement bidding process, following the house fire in Muntinlupa City on Sunday that killed 10 members of a family.

In filing House Joint Resolution No. 15, House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro urged the Congress to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on BFP’s “restrictive and questionable” fire truck procurement bidding process.

“Bilyon-bilyon na ang pondo ng BFP para makabili ng modernong mga fire trucks, pero maging ang procurement dito ay may korapsyon at may pinapaborang mga supplier. Nakakagalit ito dahil pera ng bayan na naman ang isinasadlak sa anomalya tapos ay buhay ng ating mga kababayan ang nakataya,” Castro said in a statement.

(The BFP has billions of funds to buy modern fire trucks but their procurement is corrupt and suppliers are favored. This is infuriating because public money is being used in an anomaly but their lives are being put at stake.)

“Dapat maging transparent sa mga bidding nito at isapubliko ang mga bidding documents kaya dapat din talagang maimbestigahan ang isyung ito,” she added.

(The BFP should be transparent in its bidding and publicize its bidding documents, that’s why this issue should also be investigated.)

GMA News Online has sought comment from the BFP, but it has yet to respond as of posting.

The fire hit a residential area in Barangay Putatan in Muntinlupa City on Sunday morning.

Preliminary investigations by the BFP showed that the Ladia family had just come home from attending Simbang Gabi and were preparing breakfast when the fire struck.

It broke out at 8:56 a.m., reached the first alarm at 9:02 a.m., was placed under control at 9:25 a.m., and was declared a fire out at 10:25 a.m.

The dead included a five-month-old baby. Only the family matriarch, 83, survived. — BM, GMA Integrated News